Posts in IPWatchdog Articles

Finger mounted insect dissuasion device and method of use US Patent No. 7,484,328 Issued: February 3, 2009

The Patent Docs are reporting that on February 3, 2009, Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) introduced legislation into the Senate titled the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act, which would prohibit brand name drug companies from compensating generic drug makers for delaying the entry of generic drugs into the market.  This bill is in response to a lawsuit initiated by the FTC…

On January 1, 2009, a patent application published on a Yahoo! Inc. invention related to Search Engine Optimization.  Search Engine Optimization, or SEO as it is typically referred to, refers to actions by a web site to improve its presence and positioning for relevant search queries.  With the amount of information available online being so large engaging in SEO activities to make it more…

A Los-Angeles based street artist named  Shepard Fairey created what many would say was one of the most enduring images of the 2008 Presidential Campaign, a poster of Barack Obama with a stern and confident look gazing slightly upward and to his left.  The trouble with this poster is that is is based on a copyrighted photo taken by the Associated…

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has orderd a stay in the patent infringement case filed by Rambus Inc. against Micron Technology, Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and Nanya Technology Corporation.  The order staying the litigation was issued by the District Court Judge Ronald M. Whyte, and comes after a decision earlier this month by the U.S. District Court of…

International patent filings under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) grew by 2.4% in 2008, to nearly 164,000 applications, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).  While the rate of growth was not as high as it was during the previous three years, when the average growth rater of applications was 9.3%, the total number of PCT applications filed during 2008 represents the highest…

It is unbelievable to me that the United States Patent and Trademark Office allows LegalZoom.com to continue in what can only be described, at least in my opinion, as the unauthorized practice of law.  It is perhaps even more unbelievable that the various State Attorneys General appear unwilling to stop what I believe to be widespread unauthorized practice of law, despite the…

Despite the fact that an official announcement is not due until sometime later this morning, it seems likely that everyone already knows that President Barack Obama has selected Judd Gregg, the Senior United States Senator from New Hampshire, to be his Secretary of Commerce.  All the political pundits have offered expert commentary on why President Obama might choose a Republican Senator to…

The Federal Trade Commission has filed a complaint in federal district court challenging agreements in which Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. paid generic drug makers Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. to delay generic competition to Solvay’s branded testosterone-replacement drug AndroGel, a prescription pharmaceutical with annual sales of more than $400 million. “At a time of escalating health care costs,…

I have been critical of Jon Dudas and the way that the USPTO was run during his Administration.  I think much could have been done better, including working together with the patent bar to attempt sensible fixes to the US patent system.  Now that Jon Dudas has entered private it is time to move forward and attempt to continue efforts…

A “trademark” (which relates to goods) and a “service mark” (which relates to services) can be any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination, used, or intended to be used, in commerce. Trademarks, which is usually the term used to collectively refer to what are technically trademarks and service marks, serve two primary purposes. First, trademarks identify and distinguish…

John Doll has wasted no time moving forward to try and put his stamp on the United States Patent Office.  One week ago today Doll, who became Acting Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the United States Patent & Trademark Office when Jon Dudas resigned, announced in the Federal Register that the USPTO will hold a…

BioArts International announced today that delivered the world’s first commercially cloned dog, a 10-week old Labrador named Lancey, to Florida residents Edgar and Nina Otto.  According to the press release issued by the company, “BioArts International is a biotech company focused on unique, untapped markets in the global companion animal, stem cell and human genomics industries. The Best Friends Again…

Word has started to circulate that President Barack Obama may be close to appointing John W. Thompson, the outgoing chief executive of network security firm Symantec Corp., to be the next Secretary of Commerce.  According to the LA Times, over the last several days Thompson has spoken on the telephone and met with key senators, and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.),…

Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. recently sued Donruss Playoff, LP and Donruss LLC alleging that Donruss, a former licensee of MLB with respect to baseball trading cards, has continued to make and distribute baseball cards that use images of Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball players in their team’s proprietary uniforms, thereby infringing up on the trademarks owned by…