I love listening to music. I often come across a song that strikes a chord with me and just gets stuck in my head. You become so familiar with the melody you can pick the song out from just hearing a few notes. It’s just this phenomenon that has gotten some songwriters in a bit […]
Widerman Malek Law Blog
Four Biggest Trademark Myths
A trademark has to be registered before protection starts. Although registering a trademark is always a great idea, protection of the trademark actually begins when the symbol or name is first used on the product or service (simply using in marketing materials is not enough). The criteria for protection includes: the symbol must be in […]
True or False: Copyright Law
What is Copyright Law? Before you can take a quiz about copyright law, you must first understand the definition of a copyright. A copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. […]
Top Six Facts About Estate Planning
When making arrangements for your passing, the discussion, although necessary, is never really an easy adjustment to make or accept. Nonetheless, everyone, at some point in time, needs to have the discussion and do the paperwork. Here are six facts about estate planning that will make the process a bit less daunting. Trusts aren’t just […]
You’ve got an idea – now what??
It happens to everyone at one time or another. You’re working on some type of problem and you realize – you’ve got a much better way of solving it. Or perhaps, you’re playing around with something and it hits you – if you could just add a few minor features, it would be perfect! After […]
7 Easy Steps to Selling Your Patent
Now that you have done all the leg work and have successfully acquired your patent, you may be wondering if you should push forward into production and venture down that sometimes daunting road, or if you should put a price tag on your invention and sell it to the highest bidder? If you choose to […]
How to keep your product from being counterfeited
As a business owner, the last thing you want or need is to find out some third-rate company is making knockoffs of your product and selling them to your consumers. Not only might someone try to take you to court if the knockoff causes harm, it also severely harms your sales and hits you in […]
True or False – Questions About Intellectual Property
T or F? Improvements to old technologies may be patented. True. You actually can get a patent on an improvement to an old technology as long as the improvement is something new and it’s not just an obvious improvement—that’s the key. In fact, most technologies are just improvements to things that have come before. T […]
Interesting Famous Intellectual Property Disputes
Intellectual Property… You know that wonderful system that aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish. It’s supposed to be a ‘feel good’ approach to knowing that you’re covered and no one can take advantage of your priceless and genuinely unique inventions. The laws behind IP are a bit more precise […]
Is Someone Using Your Copyrighted Work?
Determine if your work that has been copied is protected by copyright law. Copyright law protects the expression of almost every creative expression imaginable, as long as it’s fixed and original. It doesn’t protect ideas, facts and any utilitarian language. Imagine that you spoke to someone about writing a book about an investigator who needs […]
