In my last post, I discussed the ability to trademark generic terms. This post focuses on trademarking geographic terms. In the United States, geographic terms can be registered and protected as trademarks identifying a single commercial source if certain conditions are met. Geographic terms have traditionally been very important in identifying the […]
On January 19, 1986, the American children’s television show, Punky Brewster, featured an episode called “Cherie Lifesaver”. During this episode, a little girl named Cherie becomes trapped in a discarded refrigerator in a game of hide and seek. She is not found until hours later, but fortunately is saved before suffocating to death. If […]
Do movie makers need to obtain permission to use all brand products in their movies? The answer is no, but it is recommended. The rule is a product can be used within a movie without permission as long as the product is being used as was intended by the manufacturers without negatively defaming the […]
By: Dan Pierron As mentioned in my previous post, one strategy in enforcing your patent is to send an entity that is potentially infringing your patent what is called a “Cease and Desist” letter. The letter has a few core purposes. First, it provides “actual notice,” which is notifying the allegedly infringing party that […]
For inventors who wish to patent their inventions, may times they will need to acquire both utility and design patents. What is the difference between utility patents and design patents? Design patents protect and cover the physical shape and appearance of the invention, whereas the utility patent protects the functionality of the invention. For […]
My next couple of posts are going to focus on the types of words that can and can’t be trademarked. This post centers on generic terms. In short, a generic name of a product can never function as a trademark to indicate origin. The terms “generic” and “trademark” are mutually exclusive. If […]
In my last post, I shared my experience selling a software line of business valued by the buyer entirely for the business’s intellectual assets rather than for its tangible assets. As it turns out, my experience is not unique. In today’s economy, intangible assets constitute nearly 80 percent of corporate value. The other 20 […]
We are back on the topic of eminent domain. This time we take a look at floating homes and maritime laws. Last Tuesday on January 15th, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the dispute on whether a floating home should be classified as a vessel and subject to maritime laws or whether it should […]
