The United States Patent and Trademark Office announced on Friday, October 31, 2008, that a select group of international partners had developed a blueprint for work sharing among patent offices to address the common challenges they are currently facing.   The aim of the so-called IP5 is to reduce duplication of efforts and streamline the patent process.  The vision statement adopted states: “The elimination…

While the Federal Circuit has not said that software cannot be patented, what they did say substantially changes the law that has prevailed over the last 10 years and will render many software patents useless. Moving forward, you can protect software, but only by protecting the machine that the software operates on, which is the way patent attorneys used to be forced to write software patent applications many years ago. What it also means is that to have any chance at protecting software with a patent you will have to be willing to spend signficant amounts of money, because simply put there is no economical way to draft patents cost-effectively given the new Federal Circuit guidelines.

Disposable Boxer Shorts US Patent No. 6,539,554 [ PDF ] [ HTML ] Issued April 1, 2003 Believe it or not, this patent on disposable boxer shorts was issued on April Fools Day 2003! The fact that this patent issued on April Fools Day is rather appropriate and does certainly demonstrate that someone in the Patent Office has a sense…

It is hard to overstate the popularity of Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century world. Today in the minds of many Benjamin Franklin is remembered as one of the Founding Fathers, and revered for his contributions to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitutional Convention and his role in finally convincing the French to join America’s fight for…

Free-standing lasagna product US Patent No. 5,939,113 [ PDF ] [ HTML ] Issued August 17, 1999 This obscure patent is a recipe for lasagna. Yes, lasagna was patented on August 17, 1999. Truthfully, that over exaggerates the situation somewhat, but really only slightly. It is more accurate to say that this particular lasagna recipe was patented less than four…

Bi-digital O-ring test for imaging and diagnosis of internal organs US Patent No. 5,188,107 [ PDF ] [ HTML ]  Issued February 23, 1993 This is an oldie, but a goodie!  When I first profiled this patent back in 2003 I wrote this: “I am almost at a complete loss as to how to describe this patent. This one absolutely must fall…

The Wall Street Journal Law Blog is reporting today that Nike has sued WalMart alleging design patent infringement. The patents in question are US Design Patent 498,914 and US Design Patent 499,248, both titled Portion of a shoe midsole. Those who are familiar with IPWatchdog.com may know that for years I have counseled individuals to beware of design patents because…

Clothes Protection System [ HTML ] [ PDF ] US Patent No. 7,350,239 Issued April 1, 2008 The United States Patent Office issues some real interesting patents on a regular basis, but over the years it has become apparent that there are those within the Patent Office with a real sense of humor.  April Fools day is a national day…

I am frequently asked whether it is necessary to get a confidentiality agreement signed after a patent application has been filed.  As with many legal matters, the answer really cannot be summed up into either a YES or a NO, but rather is somewhat complicated.  The short answer, however, is that you are always better off getting a confidentiality agreement…

You can file this under the “just what we needed” category.  Yes, more advertising will be thrust upon us as it seems thanks to Diebold, Incorporated, who announced on September 25, 2008, that they had received seven patents on software that will transform automated teller machines (ATMs) into revenue-generating business tools.  Said another way, Diebold is going to bring us…

InventBay.com a dynamic service company dedicated to helping inventors successfully bring their creative genius to market – has just concluded arrangements with the creator and the host of PBS’s Emmy Award-winning “Everyday Edisons,” to participate in the 2008 International Inventors Expo in Las Vegas. Creator Louis Foreman and Host Michael Cable will use this event to recruit inventors and their…

As the financial crisis is on the mind of virtually everyone in Congress, on September 24, 2008, Senator Jon Kyl (R, AZ) introduced a new patent reform bill into the Senate. Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood released the following statement regarding the patent reform legislation: “BIO appreciates the efforts of Senator Kyl and his staff to…

Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, has scored a significant victory in its ongoing patent infringement case against announced Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM).  On September 24, 2008, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a unanimous jury verdict that Qualcomm cellular chips and software infringe two Broadcom® patents, and upheld the injunction entered…

Hydraficient announced the availability of the Hydraficient Water Fuel Cell Kit, a safe and all-inclusive HHO generator that enables equipped vehicles to improve gas efficiency by more than twenty-five percent and decrease emissions by as much as fifty percent, all without the use of additives or significant electricity requirements. The Hydraficient Water Fuel Cell Kit will be available thru distributors…