And for today’s lighter moment, the federal trademark office has approved for publication this image of a hamburger patty —
— as a trademark for *** a hamburger patty!
Michael Ratoza
Website:
http://www.us-ip-law.com/rss
U.S. Patent Office May Shut Down In Two Weeks
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced today that it may run out of funds to operate the patent office by the second week of February, 2019 due to the budget stalemate. It expects to be able to continue operating the trademark side until mid-April, 2019.
Trademark Use — Some Websites Just Won’t Do
In this age of web-based product marketing and sales, the Federal Circuit provides a reminder that a web page may not suffice as an acceptable specimen to establish use of a trademark with a product.In order to constitute a valid trademark, and to register the trademark, the mark must be used on or with a…
Top Ten U.S. Patent Recipients in 2018
Is There A Southern Border Crisis?
It seems to me that if there is a true national crisis, then we don’t need to think about it, we don’t need to debate it, we don’t need to schedule a TV announcement in the future, and we don’t need to pontificate. If there is a true national crisis, such as the attack on…
U.S. Government Shutdown Is Not Helping U.S. IP-Based Business
The shut down, or slow down, of various U.S. government offices caused by the budget impasse is doing more than merely inconveniencing visitors to the national parks. The lack of a budget is hampering business and consumers as to their branding, knowledge and creative endeavors. Here are some examples:
- Federal law requires that all
…
1923 Copyrights Have Now Expired — Long Live 1923
Copyrights last a long time, but they do eventually expire. This is now the case with works first published in the U.S. in 1923, and previous.The term of copyright can be confounding since there have been so many modifications to the term over the years. For this purpose, it is useful to consult a term…
JFK: 55 years, and counting
At Will Employees in California Need Not Comply With Non-Solicitation Covenants
Ordinarily, an employment case does not contain aspects of IP law. But in a very broad sense, some employers view their employees as a form of IP. That is, the employer expends resources to train the employee and the employee acquires valuable business knowledge through on-the-job experience. The employee develops connections with customers and gains…
John Adams
“In my many years, I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a Congress.” (Attributed to John Adams in the 1969 musical 1776)