Tech Tip Thursday (belated)

September 23, 2005 on 9:32 am | In Tech Tips | 2 Comments

I don’t use instant messaging as much anymore since I’ve started using Skype (you can do both text and voice in Skype), but did find a neat IM tool the other day.  It is called Meebo.

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It is essentially a website where you can log into your instant messaging program of choice without needing to install a program (which is great for those of you who have IT departments that forbid user installation of programs).  I believe it is built on AJAX or Ruby.  Very cool!

It actually lets me use GTalk (Google’s IM program).  When I had installed Google’s software it about ground my computer to a halt (I quickly uninstalled it).  My GTalk account is snipper@gmail.com if any of you want to test Meebo out…

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“The Guide” updated…one year anniversary

September 23, 2005 on 9:24 am | In Patent Searching | Comments Off

The Guide to Downloading PDF Patent Copies on the Internet has been updated with this:

WizPatent Manager.  Search USPTO, ESPACE, WIPO, Japan databases for patents and download the Text, PDF for FREE.  Patent document management.  Allows you to add annotations to your patent collections.  Claims Analysis.  $675/yr.

The original Guide was born on September 27, 2004.  Hard to believe I’ve been updating it for a year now…

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Naturally selecting between venture capital and angels.

September 21, 2005 on 7:46 pm | In Independent Inventors | 2 Comments

Charlie Cleveland, an independent computer game developer (and creator of a great game which I am a big fan of (Half-Life Mod “Natural Selection“)), has a great post (he blogs too) up discussing the differences between venture capitalists and angels, particular as they relate to software programs. Definitely worth a read.

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Idaho Trademarks

September 19, 2005 on 11:32 am | In Trademarks | Comments Off

You can now search Idaho state trademarks on-line:  http://www.accessidaho.org/public/sos/trademark/search.html

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The Best Interest of the Client

September 18, 2005 on 9:27 am | In Independent Inventors | 3 Comments

A couple of years ago I was talking with a local colleague (different firm) about independent inventors. I had commented to him that I had just had a very frustrating conversation with an inventor about their idea. In my opinion, the inventor’s idea was likely obvious AND the inventor didn’t have the ability to get the invention to market. Further, the inventor was going to have to financially “bet the farm” to do so. In such a situation, I’ll try my best to educate the inventor of what my opinion is (in this case that I didn’t think that he should file a patent application). My colleague, in hearing that I essentially was trying to talk a client willing to pay me money out of work commented that I was an idiot. Maybe so…

However, in my opinion it is always the best interest of the client is to NOT have legal services they don’t need.

Anyway…this morning I stumbled onto an excellent resource filled with quite a few arguments by an inventor about when you don’t need a patent. The site looks pretty old (at least in the style of HTML), so the information may be dated…but does raise some good issues. From looking at it, there is clearly a whole chunk of it I disagree with, but the information does tell “the other side” of the story. Part of a square diet, perhaps…

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Non Patent Prior Art Databases

September 17, 2005 on 12:39 pm | In Patent Searching | 1 Comment

Earlier today, I stumbled onto an interesting database of non-patent prior art: GlobalSpec.com (The Engineering Search Engine).

I’ve mentioned other non-patent prior art databases before: one, two, three, four.

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Complaints filed against Invention Promotion Companies

September 14, 2005 on 4:17 pm | In Independent Inventors | 6 Comments
It’s been a while since I’ve posted on complaints filed against invention promoters/promotion companies at the USPTO.  I believe THIS was my last post.
The USPTO maintains a list of the complaints that inventors have filed with them against invention promotion companies.  Scanning through the list, I see the following as having published complaints thusfar in 2005:  Davison & Associates Inc. (four), International Patent Consultants (one), Invent-Tech (five), IP&R (one), New Product Consulting Corp. (one), Patent Trademark Institute of America (four), and Synergy Consultants (one).  Many of these complaints are followed by the company’s response to the allegations.  I thought that Ron Riley had a resource page with additional "unpublished" complaints (but I can’t find it)…check the comments to this post for that link.
For more information, you might also see my post entitled Independent Inventors and Invention Promotion Companies which includes links to various resources useful to independent inventors in determining who to do business with.

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Guide updated…now with patent searching resources and no trans fat

September 14, 2005 on 9:56 am | In Patent Searching | Comments Off

My Guide to Downloading PDF Patents has been updated with the following information:

IV.   Patent Searching Resources.

a.   Patent Search Software.  Via Indian patent firm Parker & Parker.  Stand alone program.  Free.  Allows you to search patents from the USPTO Issued and Published Patents, and EUROPEAN Patents Database…by entering one word in any of the field of software you can search in all three places.  Pretty nice program.

b.  ClassClarify.  A software tool designed to aid researchers in using the USPTO’s Manual of Classification, the tool examiners use to categorize patents. ClassClarify graphically represents the manual and the relationships amongst the classes, it’s like a road map through the vast landscape of prior art. Use it to understand how examiners and industry analysts research prior art, and to perfect your searching skills.

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Great advice for young attorneys

September 12, 2005 on 8:39 am | In The-Practice-of-Law | Comments Off

In my podcast interview, I talked about one of the best blog posts I had ever read, but that I had lost track of who wrote it.  Guess what?  I finally found it again!

The post is by fellow blogger Mark V.B. Partridge, and is entitled “Advice to Young Attorneys.”  Read it.  (He recently wrote a follow up post called “Thoughts on Building An IP Practice: Rainmaking Book Suggestions.”)

What spoke to me was how blogging accomplishes all three of those prongs.  By blogging you network (mainly with other bloggers, but with your readers too).  By blogging you become more competent (think of blogging as daily CLE).  Finally, by blogging you become (perceived as) more credible.

Thanks Mark!

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Are patents as bad as slavery?

September 8, 2005 on 7:55 pm | In Weblogs | 1 Comment

According to this post, they are.

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