Feb
29
A Trip To The Mall
Posted by Irene Soto at 5:57 pm under Copyright.
A trip to the mall today led to some [not so] surprising discoveries.
On the top, a $10 wallet from The Icing. On the bottom, a $280 Louis Vuitton monogram wallet with a similar pattern.
On the top, $14 plastic shoes from The Icing. On the bottom, $30 Crocs.
Should these be considered infringing?
Look what else you can […]
Feb
28
Things Actually Said In Court
Posted by Irene Soto at 5:19 pm under Litigation.
Not quite IP-related, but hilarious, so I had to share:
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was […]
Feb
28
Thanks for the help, PTO
Posted by Irene Soto at 2:43 pm under Events, Patent.
As I mentioned yesterday, the PTO held a live online chat for independent inventors this afternoon. I decided to give it a try:
The questions were interesting, ranging from “can I file a petition to add inadvertently omitted material under 37 CFR 1.57(a) electronically?” to “what is a claim?” My favorite question from today’s one hour […]
Feb
28
Counterfeit Crackdown
Posted by Irene Soto at 1:49 pm under Copyright.
On Tuesday, NY police and city agents shut down “Counterfeit Triangle,” which includes Canal, Walker, Baxter, and Centre Streets. This area, like its Los Angeles counterpart Santee Alley, is known for selling counterfeit handbags, watches, sunglasses, perfumes, and more. According to the New York Times, consumers can score a Prada handbag for $40; a Patek Philippe watch […]
Feb
28
Free books online?
Posted by Dirk Avery at 10:33 am under Copyright, Technology.
I recently downloaded Charles Bock’s Beautiful Children for free. The 434-page novel is a 2 MB PDF. Everything looks to be high-quality. It was published by Random House. You can even buy the book at Amazon (here). It’s currently #7 on Amazon’s US-fiction bestsellers list. My question is why […]
Feb
28
iPhone willful infringement?
Posted by Dirk Avery at 9:10 am under Litigation, Patent.
You know when your cell phone rings, you see the name of the person calling, if it’s one of your contacts? That technology was patented by Romek Figa. Apple’s iPhone includes the functionality but the company never secured a license. Figa is now suing Apple. (5-page complaint is here.)
Many of the […]
Feb
28
Test your inventor IQ
Posted by Irene Soto at 12:36 am under Uncategorized.
See how much you really know about famous inventors with the PTO’s Inventor IQ test on the Kids’ pages. It’s fun!
While you’re at it, try to figure out “whodunit:”
Which U. S. President held a patent?
Can you get a trademark for a smell?
What trademark do you think of for in-line skates?
Who invented the process […]
Feb
28
Chat live with the Patent Office TODAY
Posted by Irene Soto at 12:18 am under Events, Patent.
What a wonderful idea:
“Senior officials of the United States Patent and Trademark Office will be available live on-line this Thursday, February 28th, from 2 to 3 PM (EST). They will be answering questions and offering tips for independent inventors.”
Check out the FAQs from previous PTO chats.
Feb
27
S. 428: 9-1-1 Bill Passes
Posted by Irene Soto at 11:47 pm under Internet, Legislation.
Yesterday, the Senate passed the IP-Enabled Voice Communications and Public Safety Act of 2007.
Section 2:
“Amends the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 to impose on IP-enabled voice service providers engaged in interstate or foreign communication a requirement to provide 9-1-1 service, including enhanced 9-1-1 service, to its subscribers.”
Full text of the bill is […]
Feb
27
“Foster Innovation, Encourage Creativity, Thwart Infringement.”
Posted by Irene Soto at 11:27 pm under Copyright, DMCA.
An article in this month’s GC California magazine discusses the User Generated Content Principles recently promulgated by a coalition of motion picture, television, computer and Web 2.0 companies. The proposed “best practices” for UGC sites are intended to supplement the notice-and-takedown regime of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and have already been implemented by many […]