About

A 1989 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, Francine Denise Ward earned her undergraduate degree in 1986 from the City University of New York—Hunter College. Admitted to practice in both California and New York, her legal focus is on contracts, copyrights, trademarks, publishing, and social media law.  

She’s carved out a niche working with eCommerce entrepreneurs and small business owners, and not surprisingly, she is one herself.  As an author with content to protect, a businesswoman with a brand to protect, and ideas looming from every pore, she understands from firsthand experience the importance of safeguarding what she’s invested so much time and money to create.  Francine has authored two self-help books, has given a number of motivational business keynotes around the world, and has talked extensively to entrepreneurs on the importance of protecting their valuable intellectual property. She has also presented a number of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs. 

An active member of the American Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law Section (ABA-IPL), she currently chairs the committee for the Interest of Individuals and Small Businesses. Always willing to be of service and forever involved in her community, Francine volunteers her time helping women struggling with addiction who have lost their kids, she sits on several nonprofit boards, and is a probono volunteer lawyer through the VLSP program of the San Francisco Bar.  

Feel free to visit her on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/francineward.

Follow Francine on Twitter for useful and relevant legal information:  www.Twitter.com/francineward and check out her legal Fan Page on

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Francineward

THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, AND NONE OF OUR BLOG POSTS ESTABLISHES AN ATTORNEY CLIENT RELATIONSHIP. THE CONTENT PROVIDED IN THESE BLOG POSTS IS FOR INFORMATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.  THIS CONTENT CONTAINS GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF LAW, NOT LEGAL ADVICE.

Share and Enjoy:
  • LinkedIn
  • TwitThis
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • del.icio.us
  • Digg
  • Live
  • Mixx

One Response to “About”

  1. Francine says:
    August 5, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    Barbara:

    Thank you for your question. Here is my short answer, which I must qualify is NOT legal advice, but instead information offered for educational purposes only.

    A blog post, if original, is a copyright protected piece of work. While the creator of content has a copyright the moment they reduce their original work to a tangible form, real protection comes when you take extra steps to protect your work:

    1. Affix the notice symbol to your work of art or authorship, despite the fact that it is not required. (e.g., Copyright 2009 Barbara Quick. All Rights Reserved).

    2. You register your work with the US Copyright Office, even though it is not mandatory to do so.

    By performing both of these actions, you establish yourself, with proof, as the copyright owner, so when and if yiu choose to sue the thief for copyright infringement, you are in fact, permitted to do so.

    For more specific information regarding your set of facts, I invite you to invest in a lawyer who can provide you with legal advice. If your work is valuable, it may be worth the investment to protect it. Also, check out http://www.copyright.gov or feel free to follow me on http://www.twitter.com/francineward

    Hope this helps a little.

    Warmest regards.

Leave a Reply