Up until recently, software patents accounted for about half of all patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The U.S. Supreme Court has since made it more difficult to receive a software patent. However, the tide is shifting back in favor of inventors and patent owners. In fact, since the initial […]
35 USC §101 Rejections Since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Alice v. CLS Bank in 2014 there has been a drastic increase in 35 USC §101 rejections. The decision emphasized that inventions “directed to an abstract idea” are not patentable. The U.S. Patent Office has used this decision to reject a majority of software utility […]
Many people believe that they understand certain words when in legal documents they could be used in another manner. Understanding legal definitions has been the downfall of several documents as many parties will sign them and believe that they understand entirely. With a licensing agreement, that could be a very costly mistake. Many who create […]
Most little girls have a doll or two during their childhood. Some like the baby doll types and others like to play grown up with an older doll. The most famous of these older dolls is Barbie. Barbie has been around for generations and the name evokes images of long blond hair, blue eyes with […]
Throughout the time sine copyright laws have been in effect, there have been many cases claiming a violation of a copyright. The first thing to understand about copyrights is that they are laws protecting the artistic creation of someone. This would include books, paintings, photographs and songs, to name a few. Sometimes the violation […]
The Wizard of Oz is one of the most well-known stories around. Dorothy and Toto are known to many generations throughout the world. It’s difficult to imagine, but The Wizard of Oz was once the center of a trademark battle in court. The story “The Wonderful Wizard of OZ” was written by L. Frank Baum […]
A copyright is an exclusive and legitimate right that is given to a creator or author to write, print, publish, film, record or perform any musical, literary, or artistic content or material. It also gives a person, party or entity legal ownership of any work they produce. A copyright is a federal law in the […]
I bet when you are having a conversation with someone, during the conversation someone will use a popular phrase that has been associated with a product. Or it might be a line from a movie. Maybe a line from a book. You know someone came up with these phrases, can you be accused of IP […]
Candles are lit on the cake and your friends and family have gathered around you. So what happens next? They all sing “Happy Birthday to you”, naturally. Then candles are blown out, with or without help from someone and clapping begins. The cake is cut and served with ice cream. This scenario plays out over […]
