I wanted to diverge from my usual IP topics this week to give a shout out to the men and women of the NC Bar. On Friday, March 6th, the NC Bar Association organized a statewide service day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. This was the 8th annual event in which...
How far will you go to ensure good online reviews? One New York dentist went too far. Stacy Makhnevich, a New York dentist, is on the losing end of a class action law suit filed on behalf of her patients. The judge found that she had misused...
If anyone caught the halftime show at the Super Bowl this year, you may remember the dancing sharks that were a part of Katy Perry’s halftime show. The sharks were an instant sensation, particularly the left shark who was seen dancing awkwardly behind Ms....
The new inter partes review procedures were reviewed for the first time by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals recently. The court in a 2 to 1 decision, the Court upheld the Patent Office standard of review used by the Patent Office to invalidate patents. ...
Unitherm Food Systems, a food process machinery manufacturer, recently discovered that you cannot seek both patent and trade secret protection for the same innovation. Unitherm filed an action in 2014 against Hormel for disclosing Unitherm’s trade secrets to a...
Intellectual property is the life blood of many small businesses and entrepreneurial enterprises. Knowing how and what may need protection could mean the difference between success and failure. I set forth below three basic things every entrepreneur and...
Recently, one of my clients asked me about the pros and cons of marking “patent pending” on his invention. I advised him that I thought he should mark his invention and here’s why. First, it puts others on notice that you intend to protect your invention with a...
This week, I have the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer McDowell, Coordinator of the USPTO’s Patent Pro Bono Program. Jenny, along with others on the Pro Bono Team, are tasked with ensuring that the Patent Pro Bono Program is fully implemented in all 50...
Recently, President Obama recognized the 2014 National Medal of Technology and Innovation Laureates. These men and women were honored for their significant contributions to the development of new and important technologies. The winners include: Charles Bachman for...
Recently, two well known trademarks have made news. First, Hasbro, the well known toy manufacturer made an attempt to purchase DreamWorks Studios, the animation film company that brought us hits like Shrek and Chicken Run. Second, Unilever, the food...
A trade secret is the secret sauce of any business. It is information that sets your company apart from you competition and it is information that your competitors would find valuable. The good news about trade secrets is that their life is...
This is one in a series of posts covering some basic aspects of intellectual property law. Previous posts touch on patents (parts 1 and 2) and trademarks (parts 3 and 4). This post will cover the general elements of copyright...
