People often don’t understand what exactly a patent is. I’m going to take the next few blog posts to describe the different parts of a patent. A patent generally consists of several items: Abstract Drawings Background / Field of Invention…
When you’ve come up with an invention and are looking for someone to help you obtain a patent, do your comparison shopping and choose carefully. Whether you choose a patent attorney, a patent agent, or an invention promotion service,…
Marc Graser and Dave McNary wrote a great piece over at Variety regarding the difficulties in keeping a blockbuster movie under wraps during production. Pre-release leakage of information, pictures, scripts can destroy a movie – but it can also make…
The long awaited Bilski decision was released today, and while I haven’t had the chance to read it yet, I have skimmed the blogosphere enough to know what it said. Basically, the Federal Circuit went a little too far, and…
Patent thinkers are going crazy for the Supreme Court to issue Bilski v. Kappos, a case with potential to change the patent landscape: Inventive Step Patently-O – guest post from my old Munich professor John Duffy IPWatchdog ABAJournal 271 Patent…
If you are starting a company or a new line of products, you can pick a name or logo with an eye toward the trademark ramifications. This is a great scenario. Clients who have been using names for years and…
Have you ever taken a photo of a busy city street filled with billboards and neon signs? Or maybe a shot of your new car to show it off to your friends? Have you gone around your home identifying photographing…
Just because something is protected by copyright doesn’t mean it’s hands-off to you. In some situations, you are allowed to reproduce such material. Newscasts rely on this exception to copyright protection often, showing clips of movies, tv shows, commercials. A…
The Patent Office has a nice flowchart on its website that describes the patenting process. It could be helpful to give the inventor an understanding of the road in front of him when he comes up with an invention and…