by Kathleen Lynch | Jul 7, 2015 | Entrepreneurship, Patent Prosecution
As we all head outdoors for summer activities and vacations, I thought I’d take a look at some recent summertime inventions that caught my eye. The first is a “Flying Insect Repelling Hat”, US Publication No. 2015/0143612. The hat includes a series of solar operated fans located along the brim and pointed toward the user. The solar panel is located on the top of the hat. The air movement powered by the fans keeps those pesky insects at bay.
Another is the “Turtle Friendly Beach Cleaning Device,” US Publication No. 2015/0144362. Who knew that sea turtles and their hatchlings struggle with sand that is rippled or raked? Now there is a device that cleans the beach sand but leaves the sand relatively flat which enables the turtles and hatchlings to make their way up and down the beach.
Last but certainly not least is the “Interlocking Swim Noodle,” US Publication No. 2015/0118927. These swim noodles have a cross-sectional shape that looks something like a jigsaw puzzle piece with recesses and protrusions. The recess of one noodle is sized and shaped to receive the protrusion of another noodle. With enough noodles you can build a giant noodle fortress and rule the pool!
If you have a summer time invention, identifying and protecting it is important to its commercial success. Having the right person to help you through that process can make all the difference. The Law Office of Kathleen Lynch PLLC is designed to help businesses such as yours keep ahead of the game. The first telephone consultation is free. Email us at [email protected].
Happy summer!
by Kathleen Lynch | Jun 30, 2015 | Innovation, IP Management
Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed a lower court ruling for Marvel Entertainment relating to a patent royalty dispute for a Spider-Man toy. The majority, written by Justice Kagen, found that Marvel did not have to pay the agreed to royalties to the inventor of a web-shooting toy after the patent term expired. “Patents endow their holders with certain superpowers,” Kagan wrote, “but only for a limited time.”
The decision is a loss for the Spider-Man toy inventor Stephen Kimble. Mr. Kimble obtained the patent in 1990 for a toy that shoots foam string from a gloved hand, imitating the web spun by a spider person. Kimble sought to market the toy to Marvel’s predecessor, which at the time made its own “Web Blaster” toy without paying Kimble.
In 1997, Kimble sued Marvel and the parties settled for a fixed payment to Kimble, along with a 3 percent royalty on sales of the toy with no cutoff date. Marvel later sought a declaratory judgment that it no longer needed to pay royalties after the end of the patent term in 2010.
What’s the take away here? If you are entering into a license agreement for intellectual property rights, be sure to fully understand your obligations as well as your rights. Capitalizing on innovative developments is critical to any organization. Having the right person to help you make those decisions is important. The Law Office of Kathleen Lynch PLLC is designed to help businesses such as yours keep ahead of the game. The first telephone consultation is free. Email us at [email protected].
by Kathleen Lynch | Jun 12, 2015 | Innovation
Google recently filed for patent protection for an interactive toy, such as a teddy bear. In response to the user’s voice or movement, the device can adjust its gaze, or change its expression. In addition to its ability to interact with children, the toy may also be used to control media devices such as a TV, DVD, or the like.
The device, while initially aimed as an interactive children’s toy has taken on the air of a creepy toy. The patent application was filed in 2012 when privacy issues were less of a concern. It has only recently been published. However since the device has the ability to record conversations and log activity, the privacy concerns are heightened, especially since the device is intended for children. There is a petition to request the application be withdrawn. Google noted that “some … ideas later mature into real products or services, some don’t.”
Given the length of the patent process what sometimes starts out like a good idea may not become one in the long run. Generally, good ideas are worth protecting. Protecting your ideas is critical to any organization. Having the right person to help you make that decision is important. The Law Office of Kathleen Lynch PLLC is designed to help businesses such as yours keep ahead of the game. The first telephone consultation is free. Email us at [email protected].
by Kathleen Lynch | Jan 29, 2015 | Entrepreneurship, Patent Prosecution, Start Up Considerations, Trademark Service Mark
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 business person should do to protect the intellectual property inherent in any organization.
- Identify your intellectual property
- Before you can protect your intellectual property assets, you need to understand what they are. Intellectual property is a bundle of legal rights. These consist essentially of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. Patents are directed primarily to objects of manufacture (things), methods of making or doing something, designs (ornamental aspects of a thing), compositions of matter and plants. If you make devices or compositions of matter, you will likely want to determine whether your device, composition, or methodologies associated with your business may be subject to patent protection. If you make an object, you may also want to consider whether there are any ornamental aspects of your object that may be new and subject to design patent protection.
- If you use trademarks, service marks or logos in connection with the sale of your goods or services, you may want to register those marks or logos nationally or internationally. If your business involves training or educational services, any materials used may be subject to copyright protection. If your business has been successful by using particular strategies or processes that have given it a competitive edge over your competition, you may want to properly identify those strategies as trade secrets. Some methodologies used in manufacturing may be better suited to trade secret protection rather than patent protection.
- Determine whether your intellectual property can be protected
- Once you have identified what you believe to be your intellectual property, you need to determine whether it is protectable under current laws. If you believe your new widget is patentable, a patentability search and assessment is a logical next step. A patentability search and assessment will provide you with the information you need to determine whether there is any meaningful patent protection available to you. This applies to objects, as well as methods, compositions of matter, and designs. A proper patentability search will search all relevant patent records and provide you with the most pertinent documentation of the state of the relevant art. A patent professional can assist with interpreting the search results to determine the scope of patent protection likely available to your invention.
- Similarly, with a trademark or logo, an availability search and assessment is a prudent next step. This involves searching relevant records to provide you with current uses of the same or similar marks or logos. From this information, you can determine whether to proceed with a trademark or service mark registration. A trademark professional can help you make that determination.
- Protect What Intellectual Property You Can
- Once you have identified and determined what rights are available to you, you can proceed with protecting your intellectual property to maximize your competitive advantage. Patentable aspects of any objects, methods, compositions or designs should be protected. Marks or logos available for use and registration should be the subject of US or international trademark or service mark applications.
- Copyrighted materials should be marked with the “©” or “Copyright” followed by the year(s) in which the material was created and name of the owner. Trade secrets, properly identified, should be protected through a series of procedures identified by your organization to ensure confidentiality. This may include, by example, limiting access to certain information, marking documents as “confidential”, ensuring all employees understand their obligations to maintain secrecy of proprietary information, executing confidentiality agreements with third parties where proprietary information may be exchanged.
Protecting your innovative developments is critical to any organization. Having the right person to help you make that decision is important. The Law Office of Kathleen Lynch PLLC is designed to help businesses such as yours keep ahead of the game. The first telephone consultation is free. Email us at [email protected].
by Kathleen Lynch | Jan 14, 2015 | Entrepreneurship, Patent Prosecution, Start Up Considerations
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 patent. That means that if the patent covering your product issues, then others will need to assess whether they infringe your patent, if they use, make, sell, or offer for sale the product as described in the issued patent.
Second, while marking “patent pending” has no legal effect, when and if the patent issues, display of the patent number does impact your legal rights. Failure to mark your invention, once a patent issues, will prevent you from collecting damages until you either begin marking or you give actual notice of patent infringement.
Third, if you are putting others on notice that your product may be patentable, that may be advantageous when talking to investors or potential licensees. If your product becomes protected via a patent, then you have exclusive rights to exploit your patent for a period of 20 years from the date of filing. This may be a significant business advantage depending on the area of technology and existing business environment.
Finally, patent marking can be done either physically on the product itself or virtually. Virtual marking requires a website where information on patented products for your organization can be found. This saves in retooling time and expense. In addition, changes to the website can be done quickly and easily to maintain a complete and accurate record of all patents covered by your company.
Protecting your innovative developments is critical to any organization. Having the right person to help you make that decision is important. The Law Office of Kathleen Lynch PLLC is designed to help businesses such as yours keep ahead of the game. The first telephone consultation is free. Email us at [email protected].
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