Shraybman Law

Every. Single. Time. ⚖️

Can’t help but agree with arshiaismylawyer on this one.

Your song just went viral on TikTok. 10 million views. But your bank account? …crickets.

This is the part nobody talks about. and it’s happening to more artists than you think.

TikTok doesn’t pay you directly. They pay the rights holder, which is usually your distributor. And if your account isn’t set up correctly, that money may never reach you. TikTok did their part. Your distributor didn’t pass it through. And you had no idea.

Know exactly what your distributor agreement says before you blow up. Drop a comment if you have music on TikTok and you’re not 100% sure how you’re getting paid.

A handle and a trademark are not the same thing. Most creators don’t know that until someone with a federal registration shows up.

Claiming your name on every platform is a smart first move. It protects your presence online. But presence is not ownership... and the law doesn’t treat them the same way. Someone can file a federal trademark on your exact name tomorrow. And if they do, it won’t quite matter that you got there first. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been building. The registration will dominate.

Your handles plant your flag. Your trademark protects the ground beneath it. Right now, if you only have one of those... you’re not even halfway.

Save this post before you need it. 😉

Your trademark doesn’t travel with you. It stays exactly where you filed it. ✈️

The USPTO protects your brand in the United States. In Australia, Brazil, France... those are all separate stories. And in some of those markets, someone local may have already filed your name. Legally. Before you even thought about expanding.

Katy Perry’s team found that out in court. A small fashion designer in Australia named Katie Taylor had been selling clothes under that name since 2007. In March, after 15yrs of litigation, Australia’s High Court ruled in the designer’s favor. Global fame meant nothing. The local registration meant everything.

Your US trademark is the starting point... not the finish line.

Tag someone building a brand beyond borders.

At Miami Swim Week this year, I wasn’t in the crowd or backstage. I was on the mic.

It was a pleasure collaborating with the .fashionshow for this year’s Fashion × Art Panel and speaking to emerging creatives about the business and legal side of this ever‑evolving industry.

Also, loved sharing the stage with .eth and , and kudos to for leading such a thoughtful conversation about the realities of starting and building a brand, particularly as new technologies enter the market.

IP. Business structures. Ownership. Protecting the work you’re putting on the line is exactly why I do what I do.

They said women belong in the kitchen ... so I cooked. 🍳

Contracts negotiated. Brands protected. Dinner served.

Every single day.

The hardest part of this career wasn’t passing the bar.

It was figuring out who I had to become to actually do this work.

The patience. The steadiness under pressure. The ability to hold someone’s worst moment without flinching.

Nobody teaches you that. You just... build it. Slowly. Sometimes painfully.