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Artists, writers and brands in Conway
Metglas, Inc. says on its own site that it is located in Conway and that it produces amorphous metal ribbon, and the site shows the METGLAS name with the registered mark symbol. The company calls its manufacturing process proprietary and says the key to it is the rapid solidification of molten alloy, and its key products run from transformer steel and brazing foil to pulse power cores, magnetic materials, motors and nanocrystalline foil. The home page gives no street address, so it does not show whether the plant sits inside the city limits.
The City of Conway requires anyone doing business inside the city limits to hold a business license and to pay an annual fee by April 30, and the city’s business license page places the Business License Office at 196 Laurel Street, in the Planning and Development and Construction Services Building. For businesses in the unincorporated areas of Horry County, the county Treasurer handles business license applications, renewals and appeals. The county’s page, which carries a 2026 copyright, gives 1301 Second Avenue, Conway, SC 29526 under Location.
Copyright: what registration changes
For a United States work, registration, or a refusal of registration by the Copyright Office, generally has to come before an infringement suit can be filed (17 U.S.C. 411(a)). A civil copyright claim must also be brought within three years after it accrued (17 U.S.C. 507(b)).
Trademarks: federal and state
A mark can be registered federally under 15 U.S.C. 1051. South Carolina keeps its own register as well, run by the Secretary of State, and a mark has to be in use already before the state will register it. The application names the owner, the goods or services, the date of first use anywhere and the date of first use in South Carolina, and it includes three specimens showing the mark as it is used. The Secretary of State’s trademark page says online filing is now available for all trademark and service mark filings.
A state registration runs for five years, and it can be renewed for further five year periods if the renewal is filed in the six months before it expires (S.C. Code Ann. 39-15-1130). It is limited to South Carolina and gives no federal protection. What it does give an owner is a South Carolina record of the mark and the right to sue under the state act for infringement or counterfeiting (S.C. Code Ann. 39-15-1170). Bring your dates of first use and samples of how the mark appears to an attorney and ask whether use alone gives you any rights.
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Local institutions and organizations in Horry County
Horry-Georgetown Technical College describes its Conway Campus as its first and largest campus, where most of the college’s administration offices are, including the President’s Office and the Business Office. The college’s page for the campus, which gives a Conway mailing address, names no research or technology transfer office. A student or instructor with an invention or a manuscript should ask the college whether it has a policy on who owns work made there.
The Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation says it heads Horry County’s work to attract, grow and keep businesses, and its site has industry pages for technology, aerospace and manufacturing. Its office is on Highway 501 East in Conway, according to the corporation’s site, which carries a 2019 to 2026 copyright. Its technology page names no intellectual property program.
Which federal court division covers Horry County for copyright and trademark claims
The county list for the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (28 U.S.C. 121) places Horry County in the Florence Division, and the court’s pages list 401 West Evans Street, Florence, SC 29501 for that division. That listing does not decide where a particular case may be filed; federal venue rules do, and an attorney should confirm the right court before anything is filed.
Common situations and short answers
### My Conway shop has a formula it keeps secret. What law protects it?
The South Carolina Trade Secrets Act (S.C. Code Ann. 39-8-10 to 39-8-130) covers information such as a formula, pattern, compilation, program, method, process, design or code that has economic value because it is not generally known or readily found out by proper means, as long as the owner makes reasonable efforts to keep it secret. A claim for misappropriation has to be brought within three years after the misappropriation is discovered, or should have been discovered with reasonable diligence. The federal trade secret statute, at 18 U.S.C. 1836, is a second route when the secret relates to a product or service in interstate or foreign commerce.
### Do I register my trade name with the state before opening in Conway?
The Secretary of State does not register DBA or trade names, so South Carolina has no assumed name register. Corporations, nonprofit corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships are filed with the Secretary of State through its online Business Filings system, while sole proprietorships and general partnerships do not file there. Business licenses come from the city or the county, which here means the city office on Laurel Street or the county Treasurer described above. If the name matters to your business, ask an attorney whether a trademark filing fits.
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Next step: a match with counsel
Bring dates to a first meeting: when the work was made, when it was first sold or published, when a mark was first used anywhere and first used in South Carolina, and when you learned of the problem. Bring copies of any license, contract or employment agreement that mentions the work as well. For the statewide picture, see the page on South Carolina intellectual property attorneys, and the nearby city of Myrtle Beach has its own page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a South Carolina trademark registration last?
A registration with the South Carolina Secretary of State lasts five years, and the owner can renew it for further five year periods by filing within the six months before it expires (S.C. Code Ann. 39-15-1130). Ask an attorney whether a federal filing under 15 U.S.C. 1051 also fits.
Can a patent dispute involving a Conway business be heard in a South Carolina state court?
No. A patent claim is filed in federal court only (28 U.S.C. 1338(a)), and patent damages reach back no further than the six years before the suit is filed (35 U.S.C. 286).
Which division of the federal court does its county list give for Horry County?
Under 28 U.S.C. 121, Horry County is in the Florence Division of the District of South Carolina, and the court’s pages list 401 West Evans Street, Florence, SC 29501 for that division. The list shows the county’s division; it is not a ruling on where any one case belongs.
Where can a small business in Horry County get consulting at no charge?
The Myrtle Beach Area Small Business Development Center of the Winthrop Region SBDC offers consulting at no cost, by appointment, to businesses in Horry and Georgetown counties, from Atlantic Hall at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, according to a center page with a 2023 copyright.
Are employee noncompete agreements enforceable in South Carolina?
South Carolina has no statute on employee noncompete agreements, so courts decide them under case law and read them strictly, and an attorney should confirm the current rule before you sign one or rely on one.
Injury claims follow different rules, covered on our Conway personal injury attorney page. Our coverage in this part of South Carolina also includes Myrtle Beach, Little River, and Marion. For the full list of South Carolina communities we serve, see our South Carolina intellectual property page.
Resources for small creative businesses
The Myrtle Beach Area Small Business Development Center, part of the Winthrop Region SBDC, offers consulting at no cost, by appointment, to businesses in Horry and Georgetown counties. Its office is in Atlantic Hall at Coastal Carolina University, 642 Century Circle, Conway, SC 29526, according to a center page that carries a 2023 copyright, and the state SBDC network’s locations page also lists the center at the university with a PO Box in Conway. Neither page names a service built for intellectual property. When you are ready, you can get matched with an intellectual property attorney.
