Judi Smith

Services provided: Federal and state tax controversies, including * International taxation * IRS audit defense * IRS collection and settlements * Offers in Compromise * Installment agreements * Sales tax audit defense

Northern Illinois University

MBA (2007)

Northern Illinois University

J.D. (1993)

Attorney

The Law Office of Judi Smith

Current

General Counsel

Awana Clubs International

2010 - Current

Illinois

Since 1994

7th Circuit

Since 2011

US Tax Court

Since 2010

• Free Consultation
• Credit Cards Accepted

• Sales Tax Law
• IRS Audit Defense
• Offer in Compromise
• Installment Agreements
• IRS Penalty Relief

Q. Can food item name be part of trademark?

May 12, 2011

A: Sure. Notice Apple®, formerly Apple computer®. The issue with using any word in a trademark is where and how you are going to be using it. If, for example, you are selling apples, then you may have some difficulty with registering the term "apple" to apply to your goods. But like Apple Computer, since the term apple really doesn't describe computers, they were able to register the word for their goods. If you still need assistance with your trademark questions, you are welcome to contact me.

Q. If a servicemark is never registered and later abandoned, can I use it and register it?

May 5, 2011

A: For clarification, I am assuming your use of "registered" means federally registered, versus state registration. However, the answer to your question would depend on a number of factors. For example, just because a mark isn't registered, doesn't mean that its not protected. So one question would be whether the mark is in use even though it is not registered. If the mark is being used somewhere, another question would be where are you planning to use the mark. The analysis of the availability of a mark is a nuanced question with many facets to consider.

Q. I am in a Joint Tenancy with 3 persons at a residential home in the state of Illinois. Who pays yearly property taxes?

May 5, 2011

A: The question of how you choose to split the tax liability among the owners isn't necessarily a legal one. However, under Illinois state law, in general, all owners of a property are jointly and severally liable for the property tax. That means that the governmental entity can seek to collect the full amount of any unpaid property taxes from any one or more of the owners of the property.

*This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney client relationship*