Archive for February, 2008

29th February

QuickLinks for 29-Feb-2008

by nipper. | Posted in Business & Tech Tips   Comments Off

MAKE: Blog: Public domain donor

  • Funny concept…intellectual property meets organ donor cards.

Adventures in $40 eyeglasses | 43 Folders

  • While patent outsourcing is a joke (IMO), outsourcing things like having eye glasses made is a hot topic on the Internet right now. $40 eyeglasses, thousands of frames to select from? Definitely worth trying.

Glassy Eyes Blog

  • Blog covering the dark side of the eyeglass industry, explaining how to order glasses online, whether you should get "anti-reflective coating," what scams are out there, etc.
29th February

How much does a patent cost?

by nipper. | Posted in Business & Tech Tips, Idaho, USPTO   3 Comments »

According to Alan Kasper, the First Vice President of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), more than I expected. In recent testimony before Congress, Mr. Kasper noted that:

…the preparation and filing of an original application of minimal complexity (10 page specification, 10 claims) on average by a firm having my firm’s size is $8,548.00. Similar costs exist for relatively complex biotechnology/chemical cases ($15,398.00), relatively complex mechanical cases ($11,482.00) and relatively complex electrical/computer cases ($13,684). The average cost for filing an Amendment in a case of minimal complexity is $2,244.00, in a relatively complex biotechnology/chemical case is ($4,448.00), in a relatively complex electrical/computer case is ($3,910.00) and in a relatively complex mechanical case is ($3,506.00). (Pages I-78, I-79 and I-80 of the Survey). The government fees related to such filings are the same (unless the Applicant is a small entity) — $1,030.00. The cost for filing an RCE is $810.00 plus a service charge, which in the case of my firm, is $350.00. The cost for filing of a continuation application is $1,030.00 plus a service charge, which in the case of my firm is $585.00.

Those numbers shock me. I guess that is the disadvantage (to me) of practicing (1) in a small firm and (2) in Boise, Idaho.

[hat tip: Chicago Patent Attorney Peter Zura]

26th February

QuickLinks 26-Feb-2008

by Stephen M. Nipper. | Posted in Business & Tech Tips   Comments Off

Intellectual Property Today: 5 Reasons You Should No Longer Bother Getting U.S. Patents

Ending the Paper Chase | ABA Journal – Law News Now — article on law firms having smaller eco-footprints

ABA: Going Green at Work by Kibert–baby steps lawyers can take to be a greener law firm

23rd February

Blawgr is back. Think Blawg meet Digg.

by nipper. | Posted in Business & Tech Tips   Comments Off

Tech Law Advisor noting that Blawgr is back. This time reskinned as “the online community of legal bloggers (powered by Pligg).” Unless I’m mistaken, Pligg is an open source knock-off of Digg (http://digg.com/), making Blawgr essentially Digg for Lawyers. I’m looking forward to seeing where this one goes…

    23rd February

    QuickLinks for 23-Feb-2008

    by nipper. | Posted in Business & Tech Tips   Comments Off

    IP Newsflash Relaunch

    • Rolf Claessen has relaunched IP Newsflash with a brand new design and new features, including a free class monitor for EP publications.
    21st February

    QuickLinks for 21-Feb-2008

    by nipper. | Posted in Business & Tech Tips   Comments Off

    Boosting teamwork with wikis

    • It’s not just for online encyclopedias: smart business owners (including law firms) use the new wiki software to encourage collaboration and save money.

    Adam Wright. – How Outlook keeps me organized

    • How to use Outlook filters and flags to automate your inbox.
    17th February

    Flowcharts on IP for Clients…

    by nipper. | Posted in Business & Tech Tips   Comments Off

    Add this to my to do list! Law Department Management blog on “Uses of flow charts and short summaries, including to explain choices to clients.”

    Reminds me of: Erik J. Heels’ “Drawing that Explains Copyright Law,” or Bromberg-Sunstein’s “Flowchart for determining when U.S. copyrights in fixed works expire.”

    Know of any others out there? Have any you use that you’d be willing to share? Let me know.

    13th February

    Google Patents Now with Published Applications, and Green Tea Extract

    by Stephen M. Nipper. | Posted in IP Law Practice   Comments Off

    According to the Patent Librarian’s Notebook, Google Patents now includes published applications. A quick search confirms!
    google-patents.jpg

    13th February

    Case Law Copies (Free), Responding to Improper Final Office Actions, Compacting Outlook Data Files

    by nipper. | Posted in Business & Tech Tips, Litigation/Legislation/Regulation, USPTO   Comments Off
    11th February

    CLE Webcast on Patent Licensing

    by nipper. | Posted in IP Law Practice   Comments Off

    The Idaho State Bar has recently started webcasting many of their CLEs.  So far, it seems that many lawyers are opting to watch the presentation from their desk, rather than attend in person.    Of note to my readers might be this upcoming CLE:  Ten Things Every Lawyer Should Know About Patent Licensing by Steven Johnson from the Intellectual Property Licensing Department at Hewlett-Packard on Thursday, February 21, 2008, 8:30-9:30 MST.  Cost:  $35.  Sign up form here.  If you want CLE credit for it, you’d have to fill out your own forms (typically available from your State Bar’s website).