Someone asked me…so I did some Google searching, finding this excellent blog post on the Adams Drafting blog: The Contract Drafter as Copyright Violator. See also this Trademark Blog post.
He mentions searching via the SEC’s EDGAR database, but I have a trick of the trade for doing just that:
The SEC has an extensive collection of documents online…but they are horribly indexed and impossible to search effectively. See: http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/srch-edgar
SECInfo.com has what they claim is “a searchable database of the most-sophisticated Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) EDGAR® database and Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) SEDAR® database service on the Web, with billions of links added to the SEC/CSA documents and exhibits to enable easier navigation…” SECInfo.com’s approach is much better…but it’s still not Google.
What if we use Google to search the SECInfo.com databases?
Let’s presume that we were looking for patent license agreement with a royalty rate that is adjusted based on inflation.
Searching Google for:
site:secinfo.com “patent license agreement” royalty “inflation adjustment”
Yields 34 hits, including:
Just don’t infringe any copyrights while you use that trick of the trade….
It is sad hearing that Michael Jackson passed away.
Did you know he had a patent? See this 2004 Invent Blog post.
See: National Journal Online — Tech Daily Dose — Leahy Offers Patent Office Bailout Bill.
The $10,000 question is whether the precipitous drope in USPTO revenue was caused by the economy, or by the previous administration’s policies that dropped allowance rates from near 80% to near 40% (which itself results in less issue fee revenue, less maintanance fee revenue, and fewer filings). Perhaps it was a combination of the two…I guess we’ll never know.
Excellent podcast on:
…the types of insurance that might cover IP, what to do when you have a possible claim, and strategies for working with insurers. We also briefly discuss a recent case from the Minnesota Supreme Court (General Casualty Co. of WI v. Hobbit Travel) that held that trademark infringement claims trigger ”advertising injury” provisions of insurance policies…
See “I Words – the Intersection of Insurance and IP” at bpgradio.com .
It’s about time! Microsoft has finally released their own “official” forgotten attachment detector for Outlook.
Like other Forgotten Attachment Detectors on the web, when you send an email FAD checks it for keywords that indicate you’ve forgotten to attach an attachment. If it detects this, it notifies you and gives you a chance to correct any mistakes.
Link: Forgotten Attachment Detector.
Forgetting an attachment is a big thing. It makes you look sloppy and wastes time (both yours and the recipient’s). If you use Outlook, you really should consider using this (or another) FAD.
Probably the best piece of Windows software I’ve installed this year…QuickJump.
The software sits in your task bar, searches all of your hard drives (or anywhere else you tell it to (e.g., your server)), and then when you push CTR-SHIFT-J it lets you quickly navigate to a folder by file name. If you have a file naming convention for your files (like most attorneys do), it is really easy to navigate quickly to (for instance) the “ACME.001921″ folder. Amazing.
The program isn’t out of beta yet, but if you go to Bob Ambrogi’s site you can find a link to the beta and password: http://www.legaline.com/2009/05/new-tool-jumps-to-right-windows-folder.html.
Gene Quinn at IPWatchdog has started a poll where readers can: Vote for the Top Patent Blogs…in case you want to vote and/or see who is receiving more votes.
“Don’t Pee in the Pool!”
Friday, May 22, 2009 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM MDT
“In this free-wheeling, podcast-style webinar, Tricycle co-founders Justin Foster and John Hardesty have an unfiltered discussion on the various ways that the mass adoption of social media is “polluting the community pool”. Especially targeted for small business owners, John and Justin cover a broad range of social media taboos, tips, and insights.”
Matt Homann, lawyer, blogger, big thinker and dad, recently released a pdf containing 100 tips on “rethinking the practice of law.” If you have clients or customers, it really is a “must read.” Trust me…download it.
43f Podcast: John Gruber & Merlin Mann’s Blogging Panel at SxSW (blog post with link to audio).
My pal, John Gruber (from daringfireball.net), and I presented a talk at South by Southwest Interactive on Saturday, March 14th. We talked about building a blog you can be proud of, trying to improve the quality of your work, reaching the people you admire, and maybe even making a buck (in a way that doesn’t blow your deal).
The more I listen to what Merlin has to say, the more blow away I am regarding how big of a genius he is. He is one of the few people in this world that truly gives me a mental workout…trying to see all the ways I can apply what he says to my life. This (above) podcast was really inspirational…put it on your “to listen to” list if you blog or otherwise write for an audience.
