Female “Indie” Inventor Pens Exposé / Call to Arms Against Legislation Corrupting U.S. Patent System

Combo Smartphone Case / Credit Card Wallet Creator Against Legislation Undermining U.S. Institution

Chicago, IL: Kip Azzoni Doyle is the inventor of the CardShark, the original and still the best combination smartphone case / credit card wallet ever made. It all started with an idea, and for Kip—like for a lot of independent inventors—that idea was going to be her ticket to the American Dream: self-determination, success, and college tuition payments for her four kids. Kip filed her application, submitted her designs, paid her fees, and had her patents issued and her product in-hand… and then she found herself infringed, sued, and threatened with invalidation before the Patent Tribunal and Appeal Board—the “death squad” for patents—and through it all the system that was supposed to have her back was nowhere to be found. Stunned and wondering how a governmental institution expressly designed to protect “indie” inventors like her could so thoroughly drop the ball, Kip went digging… and discovered that the situation is far worse—and the potential consequences far more dire—than she’d even begun to imagine.

Now available in paperback, Kip’s story and the story of what she found when she went digging—Blood in the Water: America’s Assault on Innovation—takes an inside look at the sorry state of the U.S. patent system, the crooked dealings that got us here, and what it’s going to take to get us back on track. It includes stories of and interviews with inventors who’ve had their livelihoods stolen by corporations gaming the system for their own gain, as well as interviews with experts in the field who can trace the dots back to the unseemly marriage between the federal government and Big Tech that birthed the modern patent office and sent the U.S. patent system plummeting from 1st to 12th place in the global ratings. It outlines the steps necessary to right this badly listing ship, and provides resources and priceless guidance to any “indie” inventor starting out on their patent journey. As Kip says: it’s a wild ride, “full of switchbacks and chicanes, with potholes and pitfalls and hundred-foot drops on either side, and safety is not guaranteed.”

Blood in the Water: America’s Assault on Innovation by Kip Azzoni Doyle with Scott Burr is now available in paperback; visit www.BloodintheWaterBook.com for more information and to order.

About the Authors:

Kip Azzoni Doyle is the inventor of the CardShark, the original and still the best smartphone walletskin on the market. She is also a writer who attended Pomona College and then graduated from NYU before earning a master’s degree in Screen Writing from the Tisch/Gallatin Division of NYU. She is the co-author, along with her former husband, Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni, then head of Ferrari North America, of Selling Dreams: How to Make Any Product Irresistible. She now lives in Chicago with her husband, Mark Doyle, and their 200-pound St. Bernard, Geronimo. Connect with her online at www.BloodInTheWaterBook.com

Scott Burr is a graduate of the creative writing program at the Colorado College. He is the author and co-author of multiple books in various genres, including novels, short story collections, fitness training manuals, memoirs, and essay collections. He lives in Northeast Ohio. Connect with him online at www.ScottBurrAuthor.com.

Praise for Blood in the Water

“Blood in the Water is a must-read for anyone connected to the patent system. In it, Kip and Scott lay bare the ways in which various aspects of “patent reform” have gutted the ability of independent inventors to secure the right to exclude others that is allegedly guaranteed by our Constitution.”

—Karl Maersch Senior VP, Hilco Streambank, former Head of IP Litigation, Dow Chemical; former Associate General Counsel, Eastman Kodak Compay and former patent litigator, Jones Day

“The topic of protecting inventions and innovation—Intellectual Property—that Kip writes about in her book is something that affects even the more established companies like Ferragamo. Counterfeits and imitations plague the market daily. We spend a great deal of time defending against the corrosive effects on our brand.

“My father’s passion for creating the Ferragamo shoe came from his years of studying human anatomy of the foot and designing the signature Ferragamo brand. Without the protection of strong patents and trademarks, there is no protecting innovation no matter what it looks like: whether it be a shoe design or a special signature clasp or logo or even a cure for cancer. For the small creatives and innovators, all the way up to the international company, what differentiates a brand is their own unique intellectual property, design, innovation. Protection of this is imperative across all sectors.”

—Massimo Ferragamo, Chairman of Ferragamo U.S.A.

“Kip’s story is the unfortunate story of just about all inventors in current times. Kip explains the complicated legal changes that deconstructed the patent system for small guys in simple and hilarious terms throughout her story. I recommend this book for all inventors and all Americans who want the best for our country.”

—Paul Morinville, U.S. Inventor

“Patent stuff is usually written by lawyers and blowhards, and reading it is usually about as much fun as licking a chalkboard. I’ve read probably 20 to 25 books about the patent system, and only two have stood out as enjoyable. Kip and Scott’s book is one of them. They took a rather dry subject and made it fun and engaging, which is no small feat, and got into some really thick material with more ease than I’ve seen.”

—Will Plut, Arms Dealer in the Patent World

“Wake up America! Congress has been bought, and a patent is not what it used to be. This book outlines Kip’s surreal, ‘Facts don’t care about your feelings’ story—some version of which all inventors in today’s broken patent system will ultimately experience. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s not the way it’s supposed to be. This book should motivate all private citizens to stand up for the simple promise that made America: that a common person with a unique idea could have that idea protected as their God-given right and private property. Sadly, as Kip points out, Congress has been bought and our patent system no longer protects the little guy. Remember, WE are the People, and WE make our own laws. So, if you care about our future, get off the couch, join Kip’s fight, and reclaim America.”

—Jeff Hardin, Inventor Rights Advocate

“Kip and Scott’s book is a journey into the ‘heart of darkness’ of the American patent system: a deeply unsettling deep dive into the crooked contract between Big Tech and the Patent and Trademark Office that put America on the fast track to an innovation implosion. It’s razor-sharp and spot-on; it’s also funny and engaging as hell. If you care about America’s future in the global innovation sphere—which is, after all, America’s future, period—then I highly recommend you read this book.”

—Josh Malone, U.S. Inventor, Inventor of Bunch O Balloons

“The Independent Inventor is under assault. Big Tech’s foot is on our necks, and they’re using the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as their boot. Kip and Scott’s book succinctly and deftly lays out our plight and our plea: save the patent system, save the independent inventor, save the future.”

—M. David Hoyle, President/CEO B.E. Technologies

Contact: Scott Burr, BloodintheWaterBook@gmail.com

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