FBI Anti-Piracy Warning for Your Films
When you watch a movie or TV series on DVD at home, one of the first things you are typically greeted with is a blue screen displaying an FBI logo and some language about a $250,000 fine for copying the…
Right to Use versus Right to Exclude
The law provides for different rights, depending on the subject matter concerned, the evolution of the law through courts and legislative bodies, and practical implications. Some people think that a patent or a trademark gives the owner a right to…
Patent Office Action Response Deadlines
When the Patent Office sends you an Office Action, you typically have a few deadlines for response. The OA will indicate the deadline on its front page: 3 months, but that time can be extended up to 6 months with…
Registering for Federal Copyright Protection
Copyright is protection for “original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression.” If you make something creative on your own, and it is something tangible or on something tangible, the work is eligible for copyright protection. The…
Trademark Opposition
A trademark opposition can be part of the registration application process. Typically, a successful application proceeds through the Trademark Office in a predictable manner: the application is filed, the applicant and examiner communicate and work on the application, and the…
Who owns my logo? The graphic design company that developed it or me?
You may have hired a graphic artist or agency to develop your company’s logo. Do you know who owns the rights in it? There are two main types of intellectual property rights that can reside in a logo: copyright and…
Lemons, Lemonade, and Legal Advice
Lawyers are famous infamous for saying “no.” Clients rarely want to hear that answer, but part of fulfilling a lawyer’s obligations sometimes requires it. When I was a kid, I played with G.I.Joes. I recently delved into the recesses of…
Copyright Protection and Fonts
A friend of mine is working on a children’s book and wanted to use some highly stylized fonts for the story. She asked me if she had to worry about copyright protection and fonts she might use, but I couldn’t…
Patent Dashboard Displays a Clear, but Sad, View of Patent Pendency
The Patent Office has taken a number of steps in the last year or so toward transparency, approachability, and clarity. It recently released the Patent Dashboard, or “Data Visualization Center.” The Dashboard is a simple display of the average time…
Copyright Infringement on the Web – DMCA Takedown Notices
Congress created a procedure that content owners can use to ask websites to remove content protected by their copyright. The mechanism creates an incentive for webhosts, internet services providers, and search engines to remove (or at least investigate removing) material…