Intellectual Property Law

Free Windows Program for Inserting Boilerplate

Posted on December 04, 2008
PhraseExpress — “Tired of typing the same words, signatures, phrases, and even paragraphs over and over? What you need is a program that automatically inserts text when you type an abbreviation or hit a hotkey.”  Freeware. [hat tip Jim Calloway]

Free Webinar: Online tools & trends you need to be aware of

Posted on December 02, 2008
As 2008 draws to an end, I wanted to do something special for my clients, colleagues, blog readers and friends as a way of saying “thanks!”  To wit, I have arranged with Justin Foster, brand development specialist and social media expert with Tricycle, Inc...

New patent tool: PatentSurf

Posted on November 26, 2008
New patent tool to check out…PatentSurf. You type in a patent number(s) in the search box and the site creates a surfable display of related patents.  Interesting… SImple, yet nicely done.  Definitely worth checking out.

Practitioner Maintenance Fees?

Posted on November 17, 2008
Reading: Patent Office to assess practitioner maintenance fees.

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Does the USPTO have a looming cash crunch?

Posted on November 13, 2008
We all know that allowance rates are down, way down. Matt Buchanan, after analyzing weekly USPTO utility patent grants, states that decreasing allowance rates: …will have both an immediate and a delayed impact on Office income - Twenty thousand fewer issues fees have been paid so far this year as compared to 2006...

Blog Recommendation: Mysticgeek?s Realm

Posted on October 27, 2008
A new (to me) blog I’ve been reading lately is HowToGeek.com’s “Mysticgeek’s Realm” blog. Excellent posts with step by step instructions and screen shots, covering everything from Microsoft Office tips to computer security...

I just want someone to buy my idea from me?

Posted on October 24, 2008
I just read Marc Warnke on Entrepreneurism is not a Lottery Ticket. He nailed it right on the head. It is not a lottery ticket. The analogy I use in explaining it to clients is that an idea is like a recipe for barbecue sauce. KC Masterpiece has no interest in your recipe…they [...

Vanity or Self Defense: Monitoring What People Say About You Online

Posted on October 22, 2008
Do you track what other people say about you online? Your Firm? Your websites? You really should…to correct inaccuracies, to thank supporters, to control your personal (or Firm) brand. The “Dumb Little Man” blog has an excellent post up today on “6 Tools To Monitor Your Online Reputation (HR Not Included)...

USPTO Flowcharts on 35 U.S.C. §102(e) dates

Posted on October 21, 2008
Did you know that the USPTO has a nice pair of flowcharts for 35 U.S.C. §102(e) dates? Chart I: For U.S. patent or U.S. patent application publication under 35 U.S.C. §122(b) (includes publications of §371 applications) Chart II: For WIPO publication of International Applications (IAs)...

Bye Bye Yahoo Domains

Posted on October 20, 2008
A couple of years ago I registered a number of domain names through Yahoo. A month ago I received an email from them explaining that: Important note: Beginning on July 1, 2008, Yahoo!’s annual domain renewal price increases to $34.95 per year. Ouch...

Aspator (patent downloading tool) Updated

Posted on October 20, 2008
Kenneth Yip from Aspator (Firefox plugin) sent me an email recently letting me know that an update (v.1.004) to his free patent tool, Aspator has been released. He pointed out that: The major features of Aspator are: 1. Read searched patent abstracts, claims, drawings and bibliographies from USPTO and esp@cenet on one single page...

Dow Down? Entrepreneur Up!

Posted on October 17, 2008
Paul Graham: Why to Start a Startup in a Bad Economy.

New Patent Blog ? PatentFools.com

Posted on October 16, 2008
Gene Quinn and John White have a new patent blog worth following:  “PatentFools.com — Opinionated & Uniquely Informed ~ Patent Attorneys Extraordinaire.” They answer the “Why PatentFools” question with: The point of PatentFools is to try and identify wrongs, articulate positions, influence decision-makers and have some fun saving the world for generations to come...

Idaho Startup Capital Options

Posted on October 16, 2008
TechBoise Blog with an excellent post detailing Idaho venture capital firms/options: For the love of (seed) money

N.Y. Times on Idaho Startups

Posted on October 15, 2008
Article: Entrepreneurial Edge - Start-Ups Give Idaho an Identity Beyond Potatoes - NYTimes.com. Mentions: MobileDataforce Sky Detective Balihoo Highway 12 Ventures Episciences Inc. Sandhill Industries

Counseling Victims of Invention Promotion Companies

Posted on October 14, 2008
Running this blog I receive a handful of emails a day from inventors who had hired an invention promotion company and now regret it. Usually these emails include a plea for information regarding how they can get their $5,000/$7,000/$______ back. I typically limit my advice to a simple response like: You might ask your fellow inventors [...

Kid Entrepreneurs

Posted on October 11, 2008
I’ve been thinking a lot about being a dad, particularly about what things I need to be teaching them.  On my “Dad To Do List” is “teach them to be entrepreneurs.”  Sure they may go on to work in a profession, be an arist, etc...

Are Patent Drawings Public Domain?

Posted on September 30, 2008
“Patents are published as part of the terms of granting the patent to the inventor. Subject to limited exceptions reflected in 37 CFR 1.71(d) & (e) and 1.84(s), the text and drawings of a patent are typically not subject to copyright restrictions...

Referral request ? Book Opinion

Posted on September 30, 2008
A reader (who is writing a book on patents (historical/humor)) has asked me to post this: I am looking into purchasing liability insurance and one of the things I need to submit with my application is a written opinion of an attorney regarding the book’s content and legal exposure...

Examiners blocking unavoidable/unintentional revivals

Posted on September 23, 2008
I just got off phone with an Examiner who had called to ask if I was filing a Response (due soon with a three month extension). I answered the question, and told the Examiner that I really appreciated it when Examiners do that. The Examiner’s response shocked me…basically admitting that he/she does that [...

?New? Test Design Patent Infringement ? Egyptian Goddess

Posted on September 22, 2008
Before today, to find infringement of a design patent, two tests need to be satisfied: 1) the ?point-of-novelty? test and 2) the ?substantial identity? test. Sun Hill Indus. v. Easter Unlimited, Inc., 48 F.3d 1193, 1197, 33 U.S.P.Q.2d 1925, 1928 (C.A...

Chinese Domain Name Scams

Posted on September 19, 2008
I’ve seen a recent rash in clients reporting receipt of an email that look like this: Dear CEO, We are the domain name registration organization in Asia, which mainly deal with international company’s in Asia. We have something important need to confirm with your company...

Hacking an original Speck ToughSkin iPhone case to work with a 3G

Posted on September 16, 2008
I recently ditched my old Treo phone for a 3G iPhone. When I bought it, I asked a number of people for recommendations for a case. Matt Buchanan was quick to recommend the Speck ToughSkin. I ordered one. It is a great case. Highly recommended. BUT…I was constantly battling [...

Boise Idea Market

Posted on September 15, 2008
I’m thrilled that Matt Homann is coming back to town (to speak at the Idaho State Bar’s Annual Meeting in Sun Valley with me). While he’s here, we’re going to put together an Idea Market! George Seybold, SEO Guru is helping me get it together...

Time Slips 2008 ? automatically logging you out

Posted on September 09, 2008
Timeslips 2008 has a very annoying “feature”…it automatically logs you out of the database after a certain period of inactivity (60 minutes?). I anyone knows how to kill that feature, please let me know. [Originally posted on The Invent Blog...

Should You Add Dirty Words to Your MS Word Dictionary?

Posted on September 03, 2008
Larry Kasoff thinks so. See: Exclude Dictionary Part 1: Using An Exclude Dictionary to Prevent Patent Profanity [Originally posted on The Invent Blog. Copyright © Nipper, LLC 2004-2007. All Rights Reserved.]

Creating Flow Charts Using Word 2007

Posted on September 01, 2008
See:  The How To Geek on Create A Flow Chart In Word 2007. [Originally posted on The Invent Blog. Copyright © Nipper, LLC 2004-2007. All Rights Reserved.]

Can a non-patent attorney/agent write a patent application for another person?

Posted on August 22, 2008
Interesting quote in the comments (Comment 9) to the NEW rule set I mentioned previously on “Changes to Representation of Others Before the United States Patent and Trademark Office; Final Rule (14Aug2008)” (emphasis added): Non-practitioners are not entitled to provide legal advice or otherwise practice law...

Case law should be free ? let?s free SCOTUS patent cases

Posted on August 21, 2008
I am a big fan of public.resource.org’s quest of making government data more accessible. One of their projects is freeing caselaw…providing “open” copies of caselaw decisions. They have already compiled US, F1, F2 and F3 decisions into free copies...

Do Not Disturb ? for email?

Posted on August 20, 2008
If you have Outlook 2007 running on an Exchange Server, you might be interested in one of Microsoft’s new prototype plugins. Called “Email Prioritizer” that “provides a ‘do not disturb’ button that temporarily pauses new email arrival, and prioritizes email with a 0-3 star rating system...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.