A Board Certified Patent Attorney

The Auger Buddy Fishing Equipment Patent Is Still Pending

If you’re an ice fisherman, the patent pending Auger Buddy may make your fishing trips easier. The inventors of the Auger Buddy have recently reached the patent pending stage for their lightweight, hand-operated sled, which transports the power auger and other ice fishing equipment across ice and snow. An article at www.pr.com touts the Auger Buddy as a hassle-free solution for carrying equi... Read More

Florida Trademark Litigation Avoided by Coral Gables and Orlando Via Joint-use Agreement

Florida trademark litigation avoided.  Two Florida Cities (Coral Gables & Orlando) have agreed to avoid potential trademark litigation by working together for shared use of the name "City Beautiful" according to an article (reproduced below) in Miami Today: Orlando Close to Getting Trademark for "City Beautiful" By Risa Polansky Orlando’s application to... Read More

Hurricane Safety Equipment Patenting For Hurricane Harness

Here’s a patented invention to keep homes safe during hurricane season. The Hurricane Harness is an invention that provides "seat belts for your roof" and is designed to keep roofs from being pried off in the event of high speed winds, according to hurricaneharness.com. Roofs are most endangered portion of a house during a hurricane, because a vacuum or suction is created over the ... Read More

United States Patent & Trademark Office Rejects Hexagon Patent Claims

According to an article in Antara news, the United States Patent & Trademark Office has rejected key claims in the Hexagon ‘148 patent.  The rejection was made during a Reexamination Proceeding that was originally initiated by FARO Technologies, Inc.  Included in the rejected claims are all the claims involved in the ongoing Hexagon ‘148 patent infringement case filed by ... Read More
Posted By John Rizvi In Patents

MIAMI COMPANY FACES PATENT INFRINGEMENT LAWSUIT

According to an article in the Miami Herald, Texas athletic shoe maker Heelys has targeted Miami-based Levy Marketing in a patent infringement lawsuit filed in federal court.  Similar suits by Heelys have been filed in Orlando, Los Angeles, and Sherman, Texas over the past month. Heelys is attempting to try and stop what it calls "knockoff" versions of its product from unauthorized ... Read More

Florida Technology Company “Just Says No” to Hurricanes and Relocates to Michigan

According to an article in MITechNews.com, a website owned by the Michigan News Network, three hurricanes prompted CEO John Bonaccorso of 9thXchange to look for gentler climates within which to conduct business.  The Florida technology company moved from Melbourne, Florida, to Ann Arbor. Many of the company’s more than twenty five developers and system architects are leaving Florid... Read More

Intellectual Property Law Certification First in Florida

The Tampa Bay Business Journal reports the approval of the nation’s first legal specialty in intellectual property law by the Florida Supreme Court.  This certification will be one of 22 certification areas available in the state. Florida Bar president, Henry M. Coxe III, appointed a nine-member certification committee to review credentials of applicants, develop policy implementation s... Read More

Trademark Tips

Jon Fredkove over at Named Development has posted an interesting and humorous article regarding applying for trademark protection with the United States Patent & Trademark Office. I urge you to visit his blog for the complete article. You will find it under the November 6, 2006 Links Du Jour entitled “Trademarks and Superstitions.”
Posted By John Rizvi In Trademarks

Trademark Suit Over Am Trust Name

The St. Petersburg Times reports that Ohio Savings Bank, which trademarked the name “Am Trust” in 1987 and formed a Boca Raton, Florida subsidiary, AmTrust Bank, in 1999, is taking legal action against Dan Hicks, who formed AmTrust Funding Services in 2002. After giving Hicks multiple warnings, Ohio Savings recently filed suit in federal court in Tampa, demanding that Hick’s comp... Read More
Posted By John Rizvi In Trademarks

Trademark Lawsuit Goes “Bongos”

Canada.com reports that latin singer Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio are trying to prevent a Florida club owner from utilizing the word “bongos,” even though the Estefan’s previously argued that the word cannot be trademark protected. The Estefans have tried forcing West Palm Beach bar owner, Christopher Marrero, to change the name of his har, Cocobongos. The Estefan’... Read More
Posted By John Rizvi In Trademarks

Trademark Dispute Settled Between Florida Newspapers

The Associated Press reported that a trademark dispute over the right to use the name “Tampa Bay Times” has been settled between the newspapers St. Petersburg Times and The Tampa Tribune. The trademark dispute commenced last February when the Tribune sued the Times in federal court for trademark infringement. The Times countersued, claiming that the Tribune had abandoned the mark ̶... Read More
Posted By John Rizvi In Trademarks

Trademark Infringement Lawsuit filed by Singer Jimmy Buffett

According to an article in Reuters, a trademark infringement lawsuit was filed by singer Jimmy Buffett on November 13, 2006, asking a U.S. Federal Judge to put an end to a Web site operator’s infringing actions. The lawsuit was filed in United States District Court in Galveston, Texas. According to the complaint, Robert Akard is accused of operating the web site “underonehut.com,”... Read More
Posted By John Rizvi In Trademarks

Intellectual Property Rights Key to Economic Growth in South Florida

West Palm Beach, FL. – According to a Press Release posted on the United States Patent & Trademark Office website, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Jon Dudas today told members of the Business Development Board’s Life Sciences Cluster Committee that protecting intellectual property against piracy and... Read More

Patenting Fishing Equipment Like Modular Fly Fishing Reel Prevents Genuine Innovation

As a Miami patent attorney, I live less than a 90 minute drive from Islamorada in the Florida Keys-reputed to be the sportfishing capital of the world and have a special interest in fishing and fishing patents. Patenting fishing equipment is a niche practice area of the firm and the patented quick release modular fly-fishing reel caught my attention.  As per an article at freepatent... Read More

Florida Patent Attorney Addresses Adding Value to Patent Applications

In his Intellectual Property Counsel Blog post entitled " A Litmus Test to Identify Exceptional Patent Attorneys ", in-house Florida intellectual property attorney Todd Mayover provides a good overview of things that distinguish a " good patent attorney "from an "exceptional patent attorney ".  In particular, he writes: Adding value to patents requires a com... Read More