Steve Masur

The Importance of Investor Updates

June 8, 2022

Steve Masur

Start Ups

By: Gabriel Goldenberg & Natasha Harris, with comments from Steven Masur Leading angel investor Jason Calacanis’ Rule of Startups is “If your startup isn’t sending you monthly updates it’s going out of business.”  In other words, keeping your investors...

QSBS: Do I Really Have to Close My LLC and Open a Corp?

March 5, 2021

Steve Masur

By: Steven Masur (with research and writing assistance from Maria Samson) A great many entrepreneurs who believe they may one day sell their companies have been calling to ask whether they need to close their LLC and open a...

The Balancing Test Between Data Privacy and Public Health in a Pandemic

January 15, 2021

Steve Masur

By: Steven Masur and Maria Samson The 2019 novel coronavirus “COVID” has disrupted seemingly every facet of daily life. From closing schools to altering the 9-to-5 workday, the pandemic has made us question constructs that have long been established...

Should Independent Contractors Form Loan-Out Companies, or Not?

November 18, 2020

Steve Masur

Watch the “freeze or get down” scene from Raising Arizona. By: Steven Masur and Danika Johnson Recently, we wrote an article about Loan-Out companies in which we discussed the advantages for established and early-stage artists alike. However, our clients...

Digital, Social Media, OTT Players Should Play the Long Game, and Stop Unnecessarily Exploiting Content Creators

October 8, 2020

Steve Masur

By: Steven Masur and Ilana Faibish Significant revenue is driven by artists, entertainers, and content creators who become recognizable personalities in their own right. But most of the time, these talented people do not actually own the rights to...

Sync Negotiations: How Much Should You Ask for Your Music?

July 15, 2020

Steve Masur

By: Steven Masur Synchronization rights negotiations become relevant whenever someone wishes to use your or your client’s music in combination with visuals and moving images such as in movies, television shows, video games, or YouTube videos. Many lawyers write...

Smart Creatives Use Loan-Out Companies

July 8, 2020

Steve Masur

By: Steve Masur and Danika Johnson Artists, performers, celebrities, and freelancers in the know use loan-out companies. A loan-out company is a personal LLC or corporation formed to do business on your behalf. Instead of signing agreements yourself and...

Crypto Mom’s SEC Safe Harbor Proposal for New Token Offerings

April 20, 2020

Steve Masur

By: Steven Masur and Cameron Ashby During the 4th International Blockchain Congress in Chicago, Hester Pierce, Commissioner for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) (aka, the “Crypto Mom”), announced the “Token Safe Harbor Proposal,” or the “Proposed Securities...

COVID-19 and the Force Majeure Clause

April 9, 2020

Steve Masur

By: Steve Masur and Ilana Faibish Does COVID-19 constitute a force majeure event under my contract? The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in significant disruptions in most industries. A great many companies are struggling to meet their obligations under their...

A Limited Shield of Privacy for New York Residents

November 19, 2019

Steve Masur

By: Steve Masur and Cameron Ashby New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security Act (the “SHIELD Act” or the “Act”) into law on July 25, 2019, nearly two years after the bill...

What the FUCT: Can the USPTO Still Deny Your Vulgar or Offensive Mark?

September 23, 2019

Steve Masur

By: Steve Masur and Cameron Ashby The Supreme Court recently struck down a federal law that banned trademarking words and logos that are “immoral” or “scandalous”. The court reasoned that this federal requirement for registering marks was a form...

The Implications Behind New York’s Decriminalization of Marijuana

August 6, 2019

Steve Masur

By: Steve Masur and Armando E. Martinez On June 19, 2019, the New York State Legislature in Albany rejected a cannabis legalization bill, which had enjoyed wide-ranging popular support, leaving many to wonder why. New York is the second...