The USPTO has released it’s first issue of the “Inventors Eye,” the USPTO’s bimonthly publication for the independent inventor community. The first issue includes articles on:
Patent Reform – An Open Letter
Protect Your Innovation: Avoid Scams – By Ronald Jaicks : Office of the Solicitor
Spark of Genius: The Spiral Eye Needle – By John Calvert : [...]
Gene Quinn at IPWatchDog reports that LegalZoom has been sued (class action lawsuit) for “unauthorized practice of law” in Missouri, allegedly for offering legal advice regarding a will and for preparing incorporation documents.
Other related blog posts I turned up on this topic:
Gene Quinn on LegalZoom and the filing of trademark applications in “LegalZoom Continues Unauthorized [...]
Patent blogger Gene Quinn of IPWatchdog.com was sued yesterday by invention promotion company InventHelp. Gene wrote a post on his blog entitled “Invent Help Sues IPWatchdog Alleging they are Not a Scam” which has the complete story. In the post, Gene indicates that he is looking for information about InventHelp’s practices from former Invent Help [...]
Read: Venture Hacks blog on Top 10 reasons why entrepreneurs hate lawyers.
Note: Eight of his reasons are about failures to communicate, the other two are about money.
Most larger cities have a “children’s museum” where kids (and grown ups) can experience “hands on” science. Anything that teaches kids that science is cool is worth supporting!
Our local children’s museum is called the “Discovery Center of Idaho.” For about ten years now, I have provided free patent searches to the winners of the Discovery [...]
One blog I stumbled on recently that is a great resource for learning how to answer those “miscellaneous” questions patent practitioners get from prospective clients is Nolo’s “Dear Rich” blog (written by attorney Richard Stim).
Example posts/questions:
Can I use a legal trial transcript in a play?
Can we name our band after a character in a movie?
Can [...]
A good friend of mine, Bill Meade, has a forthcoming iPhone app that he is in need of beta testers for. I’ll let Bill explain:
BasicIP Management, Inc. is developing an iPhone application (iCapture which is short for Invention Capture) for capturing invention ideas. The application will implement a very simple invention disclosure. It is an [...]
I’m speaking tomorrow for AIGA Idaho on “Ten Things Every Designer Needs to Know about Copyrights and Trademarks.” Details can be found on the AIGA Idaho website.
I’ll be using this post as my “show notes”…a listing of links I think the presentation’s attendees (design professionals, graphic artists) will find useful.
Copyright: Sample Forms and Strategies for [...]
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 [...]
Book recommendation: ONO – Options Not Obligations by Marc Warnke (@marcwarnke on Twitter).
I’m about 1/2 way through it, and it is a great one. I’ve added it to my “must read” book for entrepreneurs.
It is similar to Farris’ Four Hour Workweek, but Warnke’s focus is more on building income so you can spend time with [...]
