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Ralph Lauren in a Trademark Dispute With U.S. Polo Assn.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Ralph Lauren Corp lost some ground on Wednesday in its long-running trademark fight with the United States Polo Association over the use of its logo depicting a horse-mounted polo player swinging a mallet.
Google’s New Program Aimed at Squashing Patent Trolls
Google announced Monday that it would be opening up its very own patent marketplace. “We invite you to sell us your patents. The Patent Purchase Promotion is an experimental marketplace for patents that’s simple, easy to use, and fast,” said the company in a blog post. This new program looks like its going to be a straight […]
Notifications About Patent Applications via USPTO’s Email Alerts
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the release of the Patent Application Alert Service. This system provides customized, email alerts to the public for free when patent applications of interest are published. Additionally, the system offers direct access to the published applications that meet your search criteria.
Apple’s Back With Another Patent: Hand Gestures
On most of Apple’s devices, users can control just about any aspect of them with a tap on a screen or a swipe of a touchpad. But in the future, users may be able to do the same with a wave of a hand or other hand gestures. A newly revealed invention by the company […]
Relying on Own Research Might Not be a Good Idea for Inventors
Perhaps you have an idea for a new product simmering in the back of your mind. You’ve done a few Google searches, but haven’t found anything similar. This makes you confident that you have stumbled upon the NEXT BIG THING. Every day inventors tell me they “haven’t found anything like it,” and while that’s a […]
What if the Internet Was Patented?
Imagine that someone had a patent on the internet and only those who had a license from the patent holder could, for example, do business on the internet. This internet patent would not need to concern the internet protocol, the domain name system, or any other technical features of the network; the patent could, in […]
A Photographer’s Fight Against a Dumb Patent
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) lawyer Daniel Nazer’s Sisyphean task is right in his job title: he’s the Mark Cuban Chair to Eliminate Stupid Patents. So when Nazer says he’s seen one of the all-time dumbest patents, that’s saying a lot. Yesterday, Nazer and his fellow EFF lawyer Vera Ranieri filed court papers seeking to invalidate […]
The Story of One of the Most Prolific Inventors in History
In 1928, a 19-year-old Edwin Land, who would later become the father of instant photography and the founder of Polaroid, dropped out of Harvard before the end of his freshman year. He had to finish his experiments on an invention he thought had tremendous commercial potential: the plastic polarizer. [Source: The Atlantic]
John Deere’s New Patents Reveal Farming Innovations
Deere & Company, which also goes under the brand name of John Deere, is an American corporation headquartered in Moline, IL, which develops and manufactures machinery and heavy equipment for agricultural, forestry, construction and other industries. [Source: IPWatchdog]
Facebook Patent Seeks to Charge Businesses More For Advertising to Influential People
Celebrities aren’t like you and me. They’re better. Or at least Facebook thinks they’re worth more money. Convince experts and influencers to like something, and everyone will follow their lead. The question is how to identify who these special people are, and Facebook’s just patented one of the trickiest ways yet. [Source: TechCrunch]
Intellectual Property and the Importance of it to the Capitalist America
With both sides of the aisle focusing on bettering the middle class this new Legislative session, Congress should consider determining how to better protect the intellectual property of innovative Americans. America’s knowledge-based economy requires international treaties and enforcement of current laws to keep American IP safe and to encourage innovation. [Source: The Hill]
IBM sues Priceline.com for Patent Infringement
IBM has sued online travel company Priceline Group and three subsidiaries for refusing to negotiate a license to four of its patents. [Source: PCWorld]
Dispute Settled Between Microsoft and Samsung over Android Patent Payments
Microsoft and Samsung have settled their contract dispute over Android patent-licensing, according to a brief statement issued by Microsoft on February 9. [Source: ZDNet]
Apple Patent Seeks to Replace Your Car Keys With an iPhone
It’s already possible to use your smartphone in place of a wallet, and now it seems Apple wants your iPhone to replace your car keys. A patent granted this week hints that Apple is working on technology that would allow a driver to use their iPhone or possibly an Apple Watch to access their car. […]
Innovation Act Reintroduced in Congress
On February 5, 2015, Rep. Goodlatte reintroduced his patent reform bill: the Innovation Act. Co-sponsors already include the bipartisan group of Reps. Defazio, Issa, Nadler, Smith, Lofgren, Chabot, Eschoo, Forbees, Pierlusi, Chaffetz, Jeffries, Marino, Farenthold, Holding, Johnson, Huffman, Honda, and Larsen. [Source: Patently-O]
Democrats Force Redskins Football Team to Change Name
Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) has introduced legislation to force the Washington Redskins football team to change its name. Honda’s bill would prohibit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from issuing new trademarks using the term “redskins” as a reference to Native Americans, as well as retroactively eliminate existing trademarks. [Source: The Hill]
A Patent Broker Describes how Valuable Patents are Today
In a recent article Toxic Asset, we explained in detail how much recent court decisions and new rules at the USPTO had negatively impacted the value of US patents. This is not to say that all patents are worthless, far from it. Actually, based on the fact that we have recently received strong offers on […]
Gucci Loses in Trademark Dispute with Guess?
Feb 2 (Reuters) – A French court has ruled in favour of Guess? Inc in the latest episode of a trademark dispute pitting the Californian fashion brand against Italian luxury label Gucci.
NFL’s Strict Policy on the “Super Bowl” TM
It is the game that must not be named — at least not without permission. For most people, the game on Sunday between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks is the Super Bowl. But for many business owners, it’s simply the “big game” or “game day.” [SOURCE: Dispatch.com]
Google Patents Car Hands-Free Technology
Modern cars are littered with a minefield of knobs and dials to distract drivers as they hurtle down highways. Many drivers are further distracted by looking down at smartphones doubling as GPS devices and stereos, dashboard touchscreens, and children in the backseat. [Source: QZ.com]
USPTO Questions Foreign Agent-Client Privilege
A bedrock of U.S. legal practice is attorney-client privilege that allows a party to keep certain communications secret. This is an important exception to the broad discovery that is ordinarily permitted in U.S. civil litigation.
Seattle Seahawks Give up Trademark Blocking Request Against Hunger Games
The Seattle Seahawks will no longer block a trademark request made by Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins, according to the Seattle Times.
Apple Obtains New DRM Patent To Reduce Piracy & Bandwidth Costs
Apple has obtained a patent that could enable music and video sharing and along with other features by adding a new layer of digital rights management (DRM). “The systems and methods provide an encrypted copy of a digital content unit to a first user and transcript the encrypted copy to generate the legitimate copy to […]
College Claims Copyright Infringement of Michelangelo Statues
A South Dakota resident who took photos of two statues by Michelangelo and used them to print three-dimensional models of the works has run afoul of a local college to whom the statues were given in the 1970s, the 3dPrint.com 3D printing news website reported. Source: Bloomberg.
Software and business method patents
Software and method patents may appear to have fallen out of favor because of recent court decisions and legislation. However, recent trends indicate that they comprise surprisingly high portions of four US companies’ recent grants. Source: IPWatchdog
Reduced Fees for TM Applications and Renewals
Section 10(c) of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (‘‘AIA’’) authorized the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to consult with the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (‘‘TPAC’’) on the advisability of reducing trademark fees and, following the required consultation, to reduce such fees if it was determined to be appropriate. Source: http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2014/12/17/uspto-reduces-fees-for-trademark-applications-and-renewals/id=52707/
Victory for Netflix in a Dutch Patent Suit
European Netflix users, breathe easy: The video streaming service can keep operating as it always did now that Dutch patent lawsuit has been thrown out of court. Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2860632/netflix-wins-dutch-patent-suit-can-keep-operating-as-usual.html
Patent Granted For Egg Pasteurization Technique
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent to a novel technique and device for pasteurizing eggs developed by engineers at the U.S. Department of Energys Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The award marks the 27th patent granted to PPPL inventors since 1994. Source: http://phys.org/news/2014-12-technique-pasteurizing-eggs-patent.html
How Patent Filing Works in an International Economy
Now that you’re interest is piqued, let me clarify that if you’re new to the world of patents, an international patent does not exist. Patents must be filed on a country-by-country basis. However, there is an international patent application (PCT), and filing with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) that allows you up to 30 […]
MaxSound sues Google | Video Streaming Patent Dispute
Google and YouTube have been sued in Germany for allegedly infringing on a video streaming patent owned by U.S. software company Max Sound. The case could lead to sales bans on several Google Android products.Max Sound alleges that Google and YouTube infringe on a patent which describes technology for efficient transport of digital content. All […]
Apple Patents Commute Assistant for Future iPhones
Apple’s iPhone can already provide a soundtrack during your daily commute and distract you with a book, movie or game, but now the tech giant wants to make it easier for you to get where you’re going. A US patent application submitted by Apple shows that the California-based company has been developing a new ‘Commute […]
USPTO Patent Grants Increase in Numbers
Although December has just begun, the USPTO has already issued more patents in calendar year 2014 than in any other prior year. I expect that the total will be around 304,000 utility patents issued this year. The number of grants has more than doubled since 2005. Source: Patentlyo.com & USPTO.gov
Samsung’s Alternative Energy Patents
Recently, when reviewing the latest published patent applications and issued patents for Samsung, we stumbled across a number of innovations that broadly relate to alternative energy solutions.There are many issues to be solved by engineers in the energy sector, from fossil fuel-based pollution to dwindling energy resources. Samsung has made commitments to alternative energy projects […]
Recent Patent Activity of JPMorgan Chase
Headquartered in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) is a multinational banking and financial services company as well as the largest U.S. banking institution in terms of assets. Recent months have been rocky ones for the company to navigate. Source: http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2014/12/04/jpmorgan-chase-software-patent-portfolio-grows-larger/id=52454/
WiFi Standard Dispute: Ericsson vs D-Link Systems
Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) are an integral part of the modern technological landscape. As an example, Ericsson, the patent holder in this case, alleged that the patents at issue were essential to a common Wi-Fi standard, 802.11(n); thus all 802.11(n) compliant devices infringe the patents. Due to their nature (they cover technologies whose widespread use […]
Some Patent Law History
Patent law has a rich and extensive history that began as early as 500 BCE, where chefs in Sybaris had the opportunity to enjoy a year of monopolized profit for a unique dish that they had created. Several hundreds of years afterwards, Vitruvius, who served as a judge in Alexandria, tried and exposed several poets […]
2014 IPO Education Foundation Awards
Each year the IPO hosts one of the best nights of the year, celebrating a new National Inventor of the Year, recognizing another Distinguished IP Professional for a lifetime of commitment to the industry, and awarding children and teens for creating videos that explain the importance of intellectual property. This year the event will take […]
Patent Portfolio vs Patent Everything
“Patent everything” is not a viable strategy for building a defensible portfolio of intellectual property assets. Organizations that adopt this approach will eventually be forced to reconcile the appetite for large numbers of applications with the reality of a limited budget. Source: http://blogs.bnip.com/ptp/2014/09/are-you-building-a-pile-of-patents-or-a-portfolio/
Google & Rockstar Patent War is Finally Over
The high-profile patent lawsuit between Google and the “Rockstar Consortium” is drawing to a close. Google has signed a “term sheet” with Rockstar, which will be finalized as a settlement in the coming weeks. Source: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/11/google-and-rockstar-settle-patent-dispute/
Major Copyright Rules Revision [2014]
The Case of the Monkey Photographer Back in 2011, photographer David Slater found himself in a national park in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, taking pictures of critically endangered crested black macaque monkeys. After taking some pictures of the monkeys, Slater set his camera down, where one of the monkeys picked it up. The monkey then began […]
Nissan, Honda, Toyota | Auto Patents
We recently took a look at the Big Three in American auto manufacturing. Today, we’re increasing our coverage of innovation in vehicles by taking a look at the recent inventions from a trio of major automobile manufacturers based in Japan: Nissan Motor Company Ltd. of Yokohama, Honda Motor Co. of Tokyo, and the Toyota Motor […]
New Year, New Patent Reforms
The current outlook for legislative patent reform in 2015 is not so much whether reforms will be enacted but instead how far they will go. In a Chamber of Commerce IP event on November 18, Representative Goodlatte and Senator Coons will discuss their outlook on IP legislation in the new term. Source: http://patentlyo.com/patent/2014/11/update-patent-reform.html
Ford, GM, and Chrysler | Auto Patents
The American auto industry is anchored by a trio of Michigan-based corporations known within the industry as the Big Three: General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) of Detroit, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) of Dearborn and Chrysler Group LLC of Auburn Hills. These manufacturers have seen some positive developments in their sales departments recently, having all […]
The Effect of Patents on the US Economy
Patents and Economic Growth: A Beautiful Experiment Any time someone proposes changes in the patent system, they can expect to encounter platitudes about how important the protection of “intellectual property” (a term invented in the 1970’s) is to innovation and prosperity. Just about everyone involved in the system seems to accept the notion that patents […]
Student Guide to Intellectual Property
By definition, Intellectual Property is a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a manuscript or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc. Now, this might be a very broad and complex definition, so let’s have a closer look […]
Computer Giants in a Copyright Dispute: Google v. Oracle
A petition for a Writ of Certiorari was filed on behalf of Google to the Supreme Court, asking: “Whether copyright protection extends to all elements of an original work of computer software, including a system or method of operation, that an author could have written in more than one way.” Dennis Crouch of Patently-O wrote […]
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Patents A patent for an invention (something useful, unique and non-obvious) is the grant of a property right to the inventor, issued by a government or an authorized multi-national agency.