The last of the Regional Patent Offices is up and running. Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Michelle Lee recently attended a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the Texas...
A recent article in Bloomberg News poses the question: do we already have the technology needed to solve global warming? Representatives from all over the world are finishing up in Paris trying to agree on climate accord. Entrepreneurs and investors are ready to...
For years now western countries have been complaining about the lack of enforcement of intellectual property laws in China. Well, that may be changing if this recent case is any indicator. A Chinese company has recently sued Apple for patent infringement on a number...
There was an interesting article yesterday in the Wall Street Journal about patent demand letters. These are letters sent alleging patent infringement and demanding a cessation in all infringing activity usually followed by a request for a payment. The author,...
Trade secrets are supposed to be just that-secret. Trade secrets should be protected through agreement, limited access, marking as such. All of these efforts are adopted with a goal to keep proprietary information away from competitors. However, in...
Are you a high school with an offensive mascot? If so, Adidas will help you rebrand a new one. In the wake of the Washington Redskins trademark registration refusal based on offensiveness, Adidas has offered to cover the costs of any high school wanting to...
Drug manufacturers are trying to speed up the process from drug development to full scale manufacturing in areas such as China. General Electric is helping by literally shipping ready-made factories right off the shelf. The video of the development can be seen here....
A recent court case showed that one San Francisco florist went too far in trying to protect the business. Farmgirl Flowers began selling flower arrangements in used coffee sacks made of burlap cloth. They promote the reuse of the burlap sacks and have a trademark...
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that cheer leading uniforms may be subject to copyright protection. In particular, in Varsity Brands vs. Star Athletica, the court overruled a district court’s holding that the Varsity Brand uniforms were not...
Socrates once said “the way to a good reputation is to be what you desire to appear.” For one man, he wanted to be a named inventor. In an action against his former employer, Seagate, Mr. Shukh filed an action in federal district court charging that...
It is now settled: the Batmobile is subject to copyright protection. In a recent appellate court decision, the Batmobile was determined to have sufficient distinguishing features to entitle it to copyright protection. The appeal was the result of a case...
Adidas, the German sporting goods company, recently sued Skechers USA Inc. for trademark infringement involving sneaker designs. Adidas claims that the lawsuit is based on a long history of alleged infringement by Skechers of Adidas shoe trademarks. Adidas...
