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28 Jun '13
President Obama signed the Patent Law Treaties Implementation Act. The Act amends federal patent law to implement the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs and the Patent Law Treaty. It will take effect one year from the date of enactment. Under the Hague Treaty, any person who is […]
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27 Jun '13
Yesterday I discussed the new changes in copyright laws in Great Britain. Today, we are going to review how this change might affect your rights. Although there is no such thing as an “international copyright” that automatically protects your work throughout the world. There are more than 160 countries that have ratified a treaty intended […]
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26 Jun '13
The United Kingdom has relaxed many of its copyright laws, that have been criticized as “archaic.” The changes will impact a number of mediums, including computer games, paintings, photographs, films, books, and music. Under pressure from various sources, including a report entitled “Modernising Copyright,” that was prepared in response to the Hargreaves Review of IP […]
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25 Jun '13
Satellite Offices that is. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is moving full steam ahead with its efforts to open four satellite offices. The America Invents Act requires the agency to establish at least three regional USPTO satellite locations by September 2014 as part of a larger effort to modernize the U.S. patent system. The […]
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24 Jun '13
Based on initial numbers, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is pleased with the response to two key provisions of the America Invents Act. The USPTO has received 88 PTAB submissions, 73 for inter partes reviews and 15 for covered business method reviews. The numbers suggest the program will meet FY 13 expectations, and further […]
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There will only be one film featuring “Hobbits” this holiday season. A California judge recently granted Warner Brothers a temporary preliminary injunction to halt the release of Age of the Hobbits, low-budget takeoff of its much-anticipated The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The trademark infringement lawsuit highlights Hollywood’s growing problem with “mockbusters,” which are cheaper parodies […]
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Intellectual property issues are increasingly impacting the fashion world. Months after Christian Louboutin won a trademark battle over its red-soled shoes, the Gap is facing a trademark infringement lawsuit over its own footwear line. Designer Charles Philip Shanghai alleges that the Gap essentially pilfered his designs in its latest line of moccasin-style loafers. Like Shanghai’s […]
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Google recently announced new figures regarding the number of takedown notices it receives under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The search giant also announced that interested parties can now download all the data shown for copyright removals in a new “Transparency Report.” According to Google, when it launched the copyright removals feature, it received more […]
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Although this term of the Court is bound to be one for the ages as far as intellectual property goes, there are other decissions the Court has recently made that can affect you personally. The Supreme Court let stand a 7th circuit decission regarding the status of trademarks during bankruptcy. The specific issue before the […]
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17 Jun '13The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patents for Humanity initiative may get a boost, thanks to legislation introduced in Congress. The bill, originally introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), seeks to build on the existing USPTO program by providing additional incentives for the use of patented technology to address humanitarian […]
