5 Steps to Shield Your Podcast – Good Passive Revenue

Disclaimer: This text is designed to be very useful, however please bear in mind that it’s normal data and never authorized recommendation particular to you. Wesley Henderson recommends contacting an attorney for personalized recommendation however hopes this data helps you in your enterprise journey!

I used to be contemporary out of regulation college, working for an enormous regulation agency after I first began listening to the Smart Passive Income podcast. I used to be instantly impressed as a result of, like me, the host was a enterprise skilled who went from a “regular job” to changing into a profitable entrepreneur. Each week I appeared ahead to listening to a brand new story, tip, or new mind-set about entrepreneurship. With out SPI, I might doubtless have by no means even considered beginning my very own regulation agency, however it has modified my total profession (and life).

Beginning my very own enterprise has allowed me to decide on workers who share my values and to observe different pursuits, together with a non-profit, Driving for Downs, and a slew of different companies. The entrepreneurial mindset has helped me develop professionally and personally, and it’s all due to a easy podcast.

Combining my ardour for the regulation and my curiosity in podcasts, I’ve delved into the authorized features of working a podcast, and I’ve discovered rather a lot since opening my agency in 2014. This text outlines 5 steps that will help you keep out of hassle.

Distinctive Challenges of Podcast Regulation

Traditionally, property have been simply labeled into subsections like stock, tools, property, and many others. Nevertheless, for the reason that starting of the digital age, classifications have grow to be more and more troublesome. This led to the rise in mental property regulation, which focuses on defending creators and their artistic works, which is what primarily covers podcasts. 

In contrast to different property you possibly can defend with door locks, safety cameras, and insurance coverage, podcasts needs to be protected by emblems, copyrights, and contracts. This ensures creators are protected against others stealing their concepts or infringing on their artistic rights. So, if you happen to personal a podcast, it’s essential to evaluate mental property regulation and different associated legal guidelines.

Step 1: Shield Your Podcast Title with a Trademark

For months, you may have spent limitless hours in your podcast. Issues are lastly beginning to come collectively till you obtain a letter within the mail from a elaborate regulation agency in California that claims “CEASE AND DESIST” in utilizing your podcast identify. 

Do you need to rebrand, do you want an legal professional, is your whole time for nothing?

This worst-case situation, sadly, occurs very often. For instance, it’s possible you’ll wish to begin a podcast about crime scene cleanups and name it Crime Junkie, however that identify already belongs to a podcast that talks about legal circumstances from across the nation. This small mistake may be fairly expensive and even require you to rebrand and pay an legal professional

How do you stop this from taking place?

The excellent news is that it’s fairly simple to keep away from infringing. It’s best to begin by researching names on-line, hashtags, and many others on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website to make sure nobody is already utilizing your identify in the identical business. To be taught extra about selecting your identify, watch this video.

 In the event you haven’t picked a reputation to your podcast but, then there are two features it’s best to think about:

1. Be sure the identify you select shouldn’t be already getting used and/or trademarked. Your purpose is to establish a reputation that may be yours and that has no confusion with some other podcast identify. The extra distinctive, the higher. 
2. You’ll ultimately wish to register your trademark so nobody else can use your identify. When to register your trademark is a judgment name primarily based in your funds, however the sooner, the higher.

Step 2: Shield Your Enterprise and your Private Belongings with an LLC

At any time when my spouse and I’m going out to eat, we all the time scan the newest Google evaluations. Even with probably the most well-liked eating places, you inevitably discover these two-star evaluations that appear to all the time discover one thing unsuitable and one thing to complain about. I consider that most individuals are good, however I additionally know all about these two-star reviewer personalities as a result of I find yourself coping with them many occasions in representing my shoppers (and they’re largely what evokes this subsequent step). 

These troublesome individuals are the identical ones that write unwarranted dangerous evaluations, file lawsuits, and threaten your enterprise. So upon getting a reputation picked, you want an LLC or its equal to guard your enterprise and private property.

An LLC will separate you out of your firm and guard your private property. In case your LLC will get sued by a person for cash, damages, or the rest, it’s the LLC that will likely be sued and never you personally. That’s the magic of the LLC: it limits private publicity even within the worst of situations. 

Beginning an LLC might sound like a frightening process however it may be a quite simple course of. There are two issues it’s best to think about:

1. Create an Working Settlement 

• Along with your LLC, it’s best to create the governing doc for it referred to as an working settlement. This non-public doc establishes possession percentages, working guidelines, and different issues. (To be taught extra about working agreements, watch this video.) 

2. Separate Financial institution Account

• I additionally suggest that you just get a separate checking account. This lets you hold your enterprise fully separate. It’s an amazing enterprise observe to your bookkeeping and helps make sure you preserve the legal responsibility safety you need out of your LLC.
• Essential Authorized Tip — make sure to run all earnings and bills for the enterprise out of the LLC account, and do NOT use it for private bills!

If in case you have any questions on file an LLC, please go to our web site, Drafted Legal, to be taught extra and get the enable you want. 

Step 3: Use Contracts to Shield Your Cash, Time, and Enterprise 

As an legal professional, I’ve acquired many cellphone calls with tales just like this one:

Wesley, an individual I met at Residence Depot mentioned he wanted assist with an irrigation situation. Since I personal an irrigation enterprise, I provided to return over and look. I went over and was capable of repair the issue. However then he had one other downside that he thought I mentioned I might repair. He additionally disputed the value we agreed upon. So, not solely does he need me to do extra work than I agreed to however he hasn’t even paid me. What can I do?

Issues get misplaced in communication. Whereas oral contracts may be enforceable, it’s all the time preferable to have a written contract as a result of then you possibly can concretely show the phrases of the settlement. 

The great thing about the contract isn’t just in making it simple to win a lawsuit but additionally it normally prevents the dispute from ever taking place. When the events take the time to place all their expectations on one doc, it turns into fairly clear what’s anticipated, so it avoids misunderstandings.

Contracts set expectations and make your life simpler down the street. Listed here are some normal ideas when making a contract:

• Take a couple of minutes to make clear something that may not be apparent.
• Be sure you tackle issues like cash, deliverables, timeline, and many others. 
• Make the contract simple to grasp and so simple as it may be. 

This behavior of clarifying expectations after which getting the settlement signed will dramatically cut back your possibilities of ending up in a dispute. You’ve already accomplished the onerous work to ensure you are on the identical web page (and also you’ll have the signed settlement to show it). 

Within the broad world of contracts, listed below are a couple of your podcast enterprise would profit from:

Visitor Launch

The visitor speaker indicators a visitor launch, permitting you to make use of it the way you see match and make derivatives of it, whether or not it’s shorts, reels, or YouTube content material. This ensures you received’t have points sooner or later together with your company, just like the visitor making an attempt  to have you ever take away or try to regulate the content material later.

For instance, if in case you have a chef in your podcast and his episode blows up in reputation due to his beef tenderloin recipe, he might later need you to take it down with the hopes that he can get all that visitors to his web site or podcast as an alternative of yours. Effectively, if you happen to had him signal a visitor launch, he can not pressure you to take it down as a result of you may have a transparent settlement. The discharge offers you permission to do precisely what you might be doing (and it additionally releases you from any legal responsibility for doing so).

Worker and Impartial Contractor

In the event you use unbiased contractors and/or workers, it’s vital to put out the phrases of that relationship. This contains every thing from cost to timelines to deliverables. These all must be outlined as clearly as you possibly can.

If in case you have unbiased contractors creating mental property for the enterprise (similar to logos, ebooks, and many others.), your contracts must state that the LLC owns this mental property. Inherently, an creator owns their artworks, so that you must expressly state that it’s a work for rent and that the possession of such work is transferred to the LLC. In any other case, it’s possible you’ll find yourself with a dispute over mental property possession down the street.

Sponsorship Settlement

You could have a written settlement if in case you have advertisers and/or sponsors. For instance, suppose you rent a social media guru to market and promote your enterprise, and so they overstep by utilizing materials that infringes on one other firm’s trademark. You want the choice to terminate the contract or restrict legal responsibility. That is when a sponsorship settlement would come into play, as a result of it ought to embody termination phrases, cost phrases, supply dates, and many others. This ensures your enterprise is protected.

Disclaimers

I’m a lawyer, and I’m giving normal data right here. It’s designed that will help you do a greater job together with your authorized framework, however it’s not personalized to you personally. It’s nonetheless good and useful. See what I did there? That is my disclaimer. My disclaimer shouldn’t be obnoxious; simply sincere and highlights my limitations.

Disclaimers are mandatory to your podcast to guard you from one thing mentioned on the podcast. What individuals say may be misinterpreted or misused. For instance, if you’re a health coach working a wholesome life-style podcast, it’s best to use a disclaimer such because the one I exploit above clarifying that the knowledge and recommendation is normal and never particular. Additionally, if you happen to’re not educated as a doctor or nutritionist, then simply state that clearly. You’re making an attempt to obviously clarify any limitations your data might have. When drafting a disclaimer, it’s finest to not assume individuals know these limitations, so state them clearly. 

Step 4: Personal Your Podcast Intro Music to Keep Out of Bother

Though they are saying don’t choose a e book by its cowl, many choose a podcast by its intro. So whereas it might be tempting to play the theme track to Skyfall when speaking about overseas intelligence or use the brand new Taylor Swift track when speaking about her new album, this generally is a harmful minefield.

Utilizing another person’s materials may be difficult and really costly. So as an alternative of taking place the rabbit gap of how we are able to use these well-known songs, we suggest that podcasts use unique music or buy music you may have the rights to.

In case your funds shouldn’t be restricted and also you’ve recognized vital track, go for it (and use an legal professional to assist with the method). 

Nevertheless, if you happen to’re on a funds, save that cash and headache for an additional day and follow one thing you personal that you realize won’t trigger you authorized issues.

Step 5: Keep Compliant with the FTC as You Monetize Your Podcast

The Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) doesn’t regulate podcasts as a result of they aren’t “broadcast radio;” nevertheless, they do regulate podcast endorsement. 

In case you are reviewing, endorsing, promoting for, or sponsored by a services or products, then that you must disclose that beneath FTC rules. For instance, if you happen to function a podcast about cooking home equipment and an organization pays you and sends you a field of utensils to try to charge, it’s best to disclose that you just didn’t pay for the merchandise. Basically, if somebody pays you to say one thing or promote one thing, disclose it.

A great rule of thumb is to be upfront together with your viewers, whether or not it’s a sponsor or an affiliate hyperlink. Study extra here from the FTC. 

Let’s Simplify:  A Authorized Guidelines for Podcasts

To summarize: if you happen to observe these vital authorized steps, your podcast will likely be off to an amazing begin with a correct basis: 

1. Choose a Podcast Title (which you could personal)
2. Get an LLC (with an working settlement and checking account)
3. Personal your intro music
4. Use Contracts
5. Adjust to the FTC 

A lot of this may be accomplished on a funds with some analysis and know-how (however if in case you have the funds, you can even get a lawyer to assist) or with a good on-line authorized providers firm like Drafted Legal. Attempt to use attorney-drafted templates and web sites with dependable data. You possibly can all the time submit questions on Drafted Authorized’s web site too! 

We hope this text clarifies what that you must do legally so you possibly can hit file. Better of luck!