Hiring and Intellectual Property Lawyer
March 2021
Contacting an attorney can be intimidating. What type of lawyer do I need? How do I find one? How much will it cost? Here are some considerations. Red More…
DMCA Agent Re-Registration Deadline is December 31, 2017
December 2017
The U.S. Copyright Office has launched a new online system for managing agents designated to receive notice of online copyright violations. As a result, agent designations filed prior to December 1, 2016, will expire — and service providers will lose the safe harbor protection — unless they re-register by December 31, 2017. Read More…
U.S. Patent Office Permits Patent Applications To Be Filed By Patent Assignee
September 2012
A welcome change to U.S. patent law took effect on September 16, 2012. The U.S. Patent Office now allows patent applications to be filed and prosecuted by the assignee of the invention rather than the named inventor. Read More…
U.S. Trademark Office Seeks Change In Trademark Maintenance Filing Requirements
August 2012
On August 10, 2012 the U.S. Trademark Office announced its plans to request Congress amend §8 of the Trademark Act to require that the affidavit of use be filed between the third and fourth anniversaries instead of between the fifth and sixth anniversaries. Read More…
Copyright Registration Of Websites Worth The Effort
October 2010
The phenomenal growth of the Internet and electronic networks has made a vast amount of online content accessible worldwide at the click of a mouse. Content in digital form can be downloaded, copied or modified with relative ease, and instantly distributed on a colossal scale to virtually anywhere in the world. Registration of the website with the copyright office is a relatively easy process that provides abundant benefits. Read More…
Trademark Fights Take Shape During Tough Economy
September 2010
As companies fight for new business and look to keep what they already have, protection of a company’s core identity is more important than ever. Words, slogans and designs that you use to identify and distinguish your goods and services from others are eligible for federal trademark registration. It is important to not only protect your brands through federal registration, but to also monitor the trademark registration activities of others. Three recent cases show the importance of protecting your brand, and monitoring the actions of others. Read More…
Use of Celebrity Images in Advertising Has Risks
July 2010
Clothing retailer American Apparel agreed to pay Actor/Director Woody Allen $5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Allen when he was featured in an American Apparel billboard campaign dressed as a Hasidic rabbi from his classic 1997 comedy, “Annie Hall.” Read More…
Could You Be Sued If Your Database Is Breached?
June 2010
In the age of computer hacking and identity theft, more and more attention is being focused on the obligation of businesses to protect the security of personally identifiable information stored on its computers and in its databases.
Most businesses retain electronic records containing personal information about employees, vendors, and customers. Does holding that personal information and data create a duty to conceal and protect that information from others on behalf of the person about whom the data relates? Read More…