Personal Taxes

A patent for an invention is a grant of a property right by the government to the inventor. The right conferred by the patent grant is the right to exclude others from making, using or selling the invention. A patent is given only to the first inventor. If one innocently invents something already patented, no second patent will be granted. Patents are granted for a new and useful process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, or ornamental design for an article of manufacture. For more information on patents speak to your local CPA or call the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at (800)786-9199 or go to their website at http://www.uspto.gov.

A copyright protects creative works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible form. A copyright gives its owner the right to control how that work is used, including the right to reproduce the work and make derivative forms of it. A work is protected the moment it is produced in tangible form. Only works that are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office are entitled to full protection. Registering your copyright to a work is a straightforward process. You have to fill out a form, attach a copy of the work and pay the registration fee (as of 10/2000 = $30. You can go to the U.S. governments Copyright Office's web site to get the appropriate form.

A Trademark is like a copyright. The trademarks protect an owner's work from unscrupulous business practices. Unlike copyrights, trademarks protect a product's identity from being copied. A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or combination of them which identifies the source and quality of a business product. The most effective way to secure nationwide ownership to a trademark is to register it with the Patent and Trademark Office. You can also register your trademark with the state or states in which you use your trademark. The benefits of state registration vary from state to state, but at a minimum, state registration puts others on notice that you are claiming rights to a mark in a certain area.

A service mark is the same as a trademark except that it identifies and distinguishes a service rather than a tangible product. Usually, a trademark for goods appears on the product itself or on its packaging and a service mark appears in advertising for the services. The terms trademark or mark are used commonly to refer to both trademarks and service marks.

Securing a federally registered trademark usually takes several months. It can be done without an attorney, but you should strongly thin about speaking with one. Generally, the Patent and Trademark Office charges between $100 and $400 per class of goods or services. You may also want to speak with your local CPA about your trademark requirements.

The employer's payment you received for permanent loss of use to a limb is tax free if the payment is based solely on the nature of the injury.

The overtime meal money you receive for occasional overtime is not taxable to you. Additionally, any train or cab fare home you receive while working the occasional overtime is not taxable.

In the current year, generally, if you are not considered a highly compensated employee or officer, or corporate director or owner of 1% or more of the company, and you are asked to work outside your regular hours, (considered unsafe circumstances) then only $1.50 per each one way commute is taxable from the payments you receive for taxi's.
The excess over $1.50 is tax free.

If you are not considered a highly compensated employee or officer, corporate director or owner of 1% or more of the company and your employer pays for your taxi because you are working in a "unsafe" area, then only $1.50 for each one way trip is taxable to you. Speak to your local CPA about the "unsafe" definition and the taxi payments deductibility.