US Patent and Trademark Office Experiences “Major Power Outage”
On December 22, 2015 the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reported a “major power outage”, resulting in damaged equipment that shut down the IT systems. Status updates are being posted on the...
View ArticleGametek LLC v. Facebook, Inc. et al. decided
Gametek LLC v. Facebook, Inc. et al.United States District Court, Southern District of CaliforniaCase No. 3:12-cv-00501, Filed February 28, 2012On July 2, 2012, Plaintiff Gametek filed a notice of...
View ArticleChina’s new anti-terror law: No backdoors, but decryption on demand
(credit: 东方) China has passed new anti-terrorism legislation that requires telecoms and Internet companies to provide "technical interfaces, decryption and other technical support assistance to public...
View ArticleWhat Mattered in 2015: Insiders Reflect on Biggest Moments in IP
This year our panel of industry insiders is quite diverse, with commentary from Bob Stoll (Drinker Biddle), Ashley Keller (Gerchen Keller), Paul Morinville (US Inventor), Alden Abbot (Heritage...
View ArticleWhat Mattered in 2015: Insiders Reflect on Biggest Moments in IP
This year our panel of industry insiders is quite diverse, with commentary from Bob Stoll (Drinker Biddle), Ashley Keller (Gerchen Keller), Paul Morinville (US Inventor), Alden Abbot (Heritage...
View ArticleSanctions Against Plaintiff in Unrelated Cases Do Not Justify § 285 Fee Award
The court denied defendant's motion for attorney fees under 35 U.S.C. § 285 after plaintiff dismissed its action following reexamination and rejected defendant's argument that sanctions were needed to...
View ArticleHashtags, Trademarks and One #ProudMama
We have previously discussed how the use of the hashtag in trademarks is continuously evolving. As it turns out, the latest evolutionary wrinkle might have started to form this past March, thanks to...
View ArticleBashing Your Litigation Opponent in an Online Message Board? Go For It!...
As Marshall McLuhan said, the medium is the message, and this principle is influencing online defamation jurisprudence. Judges frequently bend defamation standards for cases involving the...
View ArticleEFF Joins ACLU in Amicus Brief Supporting Warrant Requirement for Cell-Site...
EFF, ACLU, and ACLU of Maryland filed an amicus brief today in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals in the first case in the country (that we know of) where a judge has thrown out evidence obtained as...
View ArticleVehicle Intelligence and Safety LLC v. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (Fed. Cir. 2015)
Patent Claims (and Specification) Lacking in Detail Fail under 35 U.S.C. § 101 By Joseph Herndon -- The Federal Circuit issued an opinion on December 28, 2015 in the case captioned Vehicle Intelligence...
View ArticleComputer and Internet Updates for 2015-12-29
Computer and Internet Updates for 2015-12-28 https://t.co/ecrQutjdPB -> Computer and Internet Updates for 2015-12-28: The 1709 Blog: 2015 – THE COPYRIGHT YEAR https://t.co/8SeXiJkERB…...
View ArticleBoA innovations cover security for financial transactions, wearable payment...
Many of the patents we noticed in our recent survey of BofA technologies are related to enhanced security methods for financial transactions, such as the innovation protected by U.S. Patent No....
View ArticleBoA innovations cover security for financial transactions, wearable payment...
Many of the patents we noticed in our recent survey of BofA technologies are related to enhanced security methods for financial transactions, such as the innovation protected by U.S. Patent No....
View ArticleWhere Does Trademark Infringement Tort Occur For Venue Purposes?
Where the trademark owner resides, at least under Florida's long-arm statute:Under Florida's long-arm statute, Defendant is subject to personal jurisdiction where it commits a “tortious act within th[e...
View ArticleTTAB Tosses Out Yet Another Bogus Fraud Claim
In this battle of Blue Collar breweries, Opposer claimed that Applicant committed fraud on the USPTO when it included "beer" in its application to register since it had never used the mark BLUE COLLAR...
View ArticleRecent Client Trademark Registrations LXXXV
The following is another update of recent Erik M. Pelton & Associates client trademark registrations obtained from the public records of the USPTO so readers can see real examples of brands and...
View Article2016 Rings in Changes for Employers
With 2016 upon us there are a few important changes to keep in mind, as well as recommendations to get your employment law practices in order. Below is a short list to be aware of. Minimum Wage Goes Up...
View ArticleBumbling would-be UK bomber asked Twitter followers for target suggestions
(credit: Francis Tyers) A would-be UK bomber and his wife have been found guilty by the Old Bailey court of plotting to carry out an explosion in London to mark the tenth anniversary of the 2005...
View ArticlePatent System is not the Fire that Hoverboards Need to Put Out
One of the hottest toys during the 2015 holiday season was the hoverboard, and doesn’t that seem about right for this year. I saw my first hoverboard earlier this summer — a guy was walking and...
View ArticleDarth Vader BBQ Grill?
warning: grill has tendency to cook on dark sideDear Rich: Is it possible to build something completely new but with the influence of themes? For example, could I build and sell BBQ's in the style of...
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