If you have been scratching your head (or elsewhere) wondering if the United States Copyright Office has ever received or processed your application, you may be encouraged to know that on August 15, 2011, I received my official Certificate of Registration for the "I Am the Village" song.  This was a 3+ year application process, and although it was a long one, I would like to encourage my fellow "creatives" to go through the motions and not panic if you do not get an immediate reply. 

Folks, there is no conspiracy theory here and I am here to confirm that it is highly unlikely that your copyright application did not get lost in the mail.  The cold, hard truth about copyrights is that it actually does take that long sometimes.  My recommendation is -- don't begrudge it, just plan ahead and apply as soon as possible.  Mind you, I used snail mail and no lawyer.  Yes, I do have a favorite local lawyer, Patrick O'Fiel, P.C., but no use using up my favors.  The "word on the street" says that a copyright response is much faster now; as fast as a year and a half if you apply online.

If you have done your due diligence and have a paper trail of certified and/or delivery confirmations, I am convinced that you will eventually get a response regarding your copyright application. Admittedly, it might say, "Dear Dumbass -- You did it all wrong. You have 60 days to reply."  At one point, I did receive a letter somewhat like this.  For the record, it's worth replying to and waiting for again -- the Library of Congress United States Copyright Office completely dissected my application to my benefit.  They had direct questions that were pertinent to my case as well as a real person assigned to my case who actually signed the response letter (and I am very astute at detecting graphically enhanced signatures).  He even had a real contact email and phone number!

Should you receive a question here on the way to receiving your copyright, don't forget some kind of delivery confirmation. Deny the urge to grab a Bud Light and "forget it, Man."  At this point, you are Dorothy with the glass slippers and there's no place like ... your filing cabinet?

No matter how long it takes, receiving a copyright is the artist's "icing on the cake," the thing you toast to when you get it.  If it is not a big deal to you, don't worry, your nieces, nephews, and/or grandchildren will brag about it for you in the hereafter. It's a part of your legacy.

Author Notes:  Rights to reproduce the "I Am the Village" song with or without lyrical editing may be purchased by contacting info@jkingmarketing.com.  Lead vocals are easily interchangeable with permission.  Recorded at Studio Gazelle.

Coming up with a baby name is child's play compared to coming up with a name for a campaign, company, or project. Most likely, your local bookstore does not have a simple book of "Business Names" alphabetized from A to Z. In choosing a name for this purpose, our instincts are either to (1) use our own name, or (2) state what our business is selling -- or both. 

There are a slew of businesses who have successfully adopted names like "AAA (something)," a popular strategy in the 1980s when the guy at the top of the alphabetical Yellow Page list was a genius.  The more A's you could get in your company name, the better chance you had at landing a new customer. It was a time when the biggest, most colorful ads trumped, but now the playing field is leveled. Overnight dot-com success stories have led us to believe that anyone with just right name can be the next Ms. Thang. 

In my case, it took years to decide how to brand or bind all the projects I had taken on over the years under one umbrella.  Ironically, like the mechanic with the crapped-out car, I found it relatively easy to brand others, but not myself.  I decided that the name of my company, to include my personal name, seemed important because I wanted former clients to recognize my work.  Keeping my name 'out there,' I thought, would be important for repeat business. 

The elusive magic name – it’s out there somewhere.  Or so we think.
The name of a company or venture alone does not determine fortune, but a name can convey certain feelings -- familiarity, trust, curiosity.  Curiosity about your business or organization can be raised through a name that is edgy, humorous, romantic, etc. and can be helpful in breaking into an industry or new location.  Also consider the image you are trying to build over time.  What your name says and looks like will be the foundation for a relationship.  A few years back, I saw Kathy Mattea live performing her classic country hit, "Eighteen Wheels and A Dozen Roses."  After she finished , she shared her words of wisdom, "Never learn to play a song well that you don't like, you might be playing it for the rest of your life."  Make sure you pick a name that you don't mind being stuck with.

Care, but don't care too much.
The truth is, if you have a good plan that you are willing to execute and see through, your business name probably does not matter much at all. What was a pepsi before it became Pepsi?  Nothing.  What was a turtle before it became a Turtle?  It was certainly not a candy covered with peanuts, caramel, and covered with chocolate. 

Throw a lot of money and a solid business plan at any name and it will probably take off.  For the few who come up with something so crude or ignorant that they fail from the name alone, well, they probably deserve to.  If you fail from having a stupid name alone, no one is feeling sorry for you.  They are probably laughing.

If you imitate, cover all the legal bases so you don't infringe.  If you stick with something safe or common like "Hill Country (trade goes here)" or "A Plus (something)" you might not get the "bang" of something a bit more sexy, but in a small town or niche, reputation and familiarity can reign where flashiness or contrived sophistication has failed. Then again, maybe your sleepy town needs a little jolt of inspiration.