A cat stretched in a barracks; a prisoner observed this and then developed an invention that left a considerable mark on society. Who was the cat? No one really knows. Who was the prisoner? His name was Joseph Pilates. Sound familiar? Invention creation is intriguing and could be considered situational. For example, consider: (1) a failed experiment occurring in a
Last century, when we were kids and it came to mobile food our choices were limited – there were hot dog pushcarts, the musical ice cream man truck, and maybe an occasional trailer that had been converted into a walk-away diner. In the 1970s, taco trucks started showing up on the West Coast (LA), but it was not until “The
This unsettled question has been in dispute since 2015 when two European dairy consortiums – one from Switzerland and one from France – filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office seeking registration of GRUYERE as a “certification mark” for cheese. This filing did not sit well with the International Dairy Foods Association (among others), so they
“With great [brands] comes great responsibility.” — Uncle Ben Parker When it comes to proactive brand protection, the absolute best thing a company can do is to obtain a U.S. trademark registration. Obvious Trademark Registration Benefits Legal presumptions about the mark’s ownership and the owner’s right to use the mark. “Constructive notice” of the mark owner’s rights in that mark
A request we often receive from clients goes something like this, “I want you to protect all of my IP.” Patent, copyright, and trademark rights are defined by federal statutes, which can make them easier to explain to a client. But what about trade dress? WHAT IS TRADE DRESS AND HOW IS IT PROTECTED? Courts hold that trade dress is
“A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.” – Alan Turing Artificial intelligence (AI) is mentioned so often that it has become ubiquitous. Virtually every news burst and advertisement refers to it. What is AI? The acronym appears to encompass all things run by software, implying there is
“The Engines of Our Ingenuity” is a podcast presented by the University of Houston. Each episode is about four minutes long and conveys a story about how our culture has been shaped by human creativity, not only in terms of technology but also in relation to the arts and ideas. Check out the podcast here. This podcast is all about
Your newest business client wants help obtaining a patent, copyright registration, or trademark registration. While you are exceptionally skilled in many legal fields, intellectual property law isn’t one of them, so you refer that client to competent IP counsel and relax. Everyone wins and … we thank you! When you do this, the client’s IP protection opportunities will be addressed,
In intellectual property (IP), this question comes about in a different context. There are many misconceptions, misunderstandings, and myths about “names” in IP which create confusion with clients even believing they have rights where those rights have been eroded or, in some situations, those rights never existed. This question gives an opportunity to provide a discussion that helps clarify the
The Unites States of America – it’s often referred to as “the land of opportunity.” The oppressed come seeking freedoms unavailable in many countries, and the ambitious come seeking fortune and fame. This has been our country’s story, in fits and starts of enthusiasm, since the beginning. Despite all that apparent upside, in recent years the life expectancy at birth
A cat stretched in a barracks; a prisoner observed this and then developed an invention that left a considerable mark on society. Who was the cat? No one really knows. Who was the prisoner? His name was Joseph Pilates. Sound familiar? Invention creation is intriguing and could be considered situational. For example, consider: (1) a failed experiment occurring in a
Last century, when we were kids and it came to mobile food our choices were limited – there were hot dog pushcarts, the musical ice cream man truck, and maybe an occasional trailer that had been converted into a walk-away diner. In the 1970s, taco trucks started showing up on the West Coast (LA), but it was not until “The
This unsettled question has been in dispute since 2015 when two European dairy consortiums – one from Switzerland and one from France – filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office seeking registration of GRUYERE as a “certification mark” for cheese. This filing did not sit well with the International Dairy Foods Association (among others), so they
“With great [brands] comes great responsibility.” — Uncle Ben Parker When it comes to proactive brand protection, the absolute best thing a company can do is to obtain a U.S. trademark registration. Obvious Trademark Registration Benefits Legal presumptions about the mark’s ownership and the owner’s right to use the mark. “Constructive notice” of the mark owner’s rights in that mark
A request we often receive from clients goes something like this, “I want you to protect all of my IP.” Patent, copyright, and trademark rights are defined by federal statutes, which can make them easier to explain to a client. But what about trade dress? WHAT IS TRADE DRESS AND HOW IS IT PROTECTED? Courts hold that trade dress is
“A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.” – Alan Turing Artificial intelligence (AI) is mentioned so often that it has become ubiquitous. Virtually every news burst and advertisement refers to it. What is AI? The acronym appears to encompass all things run by software, implying there is
“The Engines of Our Ingenuity” is a podcast presented by the University of Houston. Each episode is about four minutes long and conveys a story about how our culture has been shaped by human creativity, not only in terms of technology but also in relation to the arts and ideas. Check out the podcast here. This podcast is all about
Your newest business client wants help obtaining a patent, copyright registration, or trademark registration. While you are exceptionally skilled in many legal fields, intellectual property law isn’t one of them, so you refer that client to competent IP counsel and relax. Everyone wins and … we thank you! When you do this, the client’s IP protection opportunities will be addressed,
In intellectual property (IP), this question comes about in a different context. There are many misconceptions, misunderstandings, and myths about “names” in IP which create confusion with clients even believing they have rights where those rights have been eroded or, in some situations, those rights never existed. This question gives an opportunity to provide a discussion that helps clarify the
The Unites States of America – it’s often referred to as “the land of opportunity.” The oppressed come seeking freedoms unavailable in many countries, and the ambitious come seeking fortune and fame. This has been our country’s story, in fits and starts of enthusiasm, since the beginning. Despite all that apparent upside, in recent years the life expectancy at birth
