A Board Certified Patent Attorney
Trademark Laws Tested by Musical Copycats
According to an article on Stateline.org, states have begun cracking down on copycat musical performers who steal music from the original artists and deceive fans. New laws have been passed in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Illinois, and Connecticut requiring peforming groups include at least one original member in order to advertise or perform under the group’s name. &nb... Read More
Trademark Filed By Busch Gardens for Mystery Ride
The Daily Press reports that Busch Garden’s parent company applied this month for a trademark for the word “Griffon.” According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the service provided by this mark will be “entertainment in the nature of an amusement park ride. Busch Gardens‘ officials remain tight-lipped about the ride, which is scheduled to open in Vi... Read More
Cybersquatter Loses Legal Battle in Trademark Case
Canada.com reported that Jeff Burgar, an Alberta entrepeneur, has lost a battle on the international stage after the United Nations’ domain-name arbitration body upheld Tom Cruise’s right to the website www.tomcruise.com. Cruise’s lawyers convinced the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization that Burgar must give up control of the website because he has no le... Read More
Trademark Infringement Allegations Take a Bite at Apple
PC Welt reports that U.S. e-commerce Tiger Direct has filed a suit against Apple for trademark infringement with the launching of the newest Mac OS X, called “Tiger.” The lawsuit, filed in Florida, requests a restraining order and injunction against Apple to prevent distribution of Mac OS X 10.4. Allegations in the lawsuit include Apple’s “Tiger” campaig... Read More
Energy Product Patent For Generators To Replace Fossil And Uranium Fuels
Magnetic Power, Inc. (MPI) is helping make the world greener, according to an article at pesn.com. The United States Patent and Trademark Office published the company’s first patent application for its valuable Solid State Electric Generator, the first of its kind, which produces electric power without any moving parts or need for fuel. The generators, which have no need of fossil or uranium... Read More
Trademark Infringement Alleged by Media Company
The South Florida Business Journal reports that West Palm Beach Florida-based Ion Media Networks is being sued by San Pedro California-based Positive Ions, alleging trademark infringement in a federal lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed on July 10, after Ion Media Networks changed its name from the former Paxson Communications Corp. The lawsuit alleges that Paxson changed its name to Ion, even t... Read More
Trademark Conflict Creates Drama for Reality Show
According to an article in Florida Today, a rock band called Supernova from Southern California has filed a complaint against CBS reality show “Rock Star: Supernova,” alleging it used the name first. The complaint claims unfair competition and trademark infringement, and attempts to prevent the show and its participants from utiizing the Supernova name. The lawsuit was filed on ... Read More
Florida Patent Application Pending on Hurricane Help Network
The Sun-Herald reports that southwest Florida entrepeneurs are launching a hurricane self-help network, prompted by the last two hurricane seasons and the government’s limited ability to provide relief. The pair of Entrepeneurs, Kelly Sedgewick and Melanie DeStout, have started marketing a private-sector initiative to lessen the impact during storm evacuations. The business is ... Read More
Posted By John Rizvi In Florida Patent Application Pending on Hurricane Help Network, Patents Permalink
Trademark “Knockoffs” Plague Energy Drinks
Food Ingredients First posted an article discussing the problems associated with Trademark “knockoffs,” and how the energy drink category in particular has been subject to a whole new level of “knockoffs” that create confusion, and in some instances, identical names for existing products. Noteable examples of trademark “knockoffs” include: Jose Can... Read More
USPTO Requesting More Timely and Useful Information From Patent Applicants
The United States Patent & Trademark Office posted the following article on their website which may be of interested to those seeking patent protection: As part of its ongoing efforts to promote investment in innovation and spur economic growth, the Department of Commerce’s U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced a new proposal that would streamline and improve t... Read More
Florida Patent Infringement Lawsuit Filed in Southern District of Florida for $50 MIllion
The Los Angeles Bizjournal reported that Venali, Inc. has filed a suit agains J2 Global Communications, Inc. and Catch Curve, Inc. alleging violations of Federal Antitrust, trademark competitiveness, and patent laws. Filed in the Southern District of Florida, the lawsuit alleges that Los Angeles-based J2, manufacturer of the eFax internet faxing service, engaged in illegal activity with Cat... Read More
Posted By John Rizvi In Florida Patent Infringement Lawsuit Filed for $50 Million, Patents Permalink
Trademark Infringement Weapon Arrives in Florida
As discussed in an article in the Daily Business Review, the Florida Bar has pushed a new state law that will afford greater protection for corporate names, brands, logos, and slogans used by companies that do not practice interstate commerce. Sponsored by state Senator Walter “Skip” Campbell, D-Tamarac, the Florida Trademark Law was passed overwhelmingly by the Legislature and ... Read More
Cybersquatting Leads to Lawsuit and Emphasizes Need to Trademark
The Houston Chronicle reported that Munday Chevrolet filed suit in a South Florida federal court, after people reported visiting the car dealership’s website and finding porn. The website in question, www.mundaychevrolet.com, is slightly different that Munday Chevrolet’s actual website, which is www.munday-chevrolet.com. Cases like this are common. When someone creates a ... Read More
Invention at Florida Atlantic University Helps Cancer Prevention
The Sun Sentinel reports that Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton has licensed rights to a therapy that will be used to treat pre-cancerious skin conditions frequently found in Florida. The discovery has caught the eye of two medical industry entrepeneurs that hope to further develop and market this therapy. One of the principal uses of the therapy would be to treated actinic keratosi... Read More
Florida Biotech Patenting Activity Update
The Florida Trend Editor’s Page had an article of interest for any Florida patent attorney following the state’s biotechnology scene. Entitled "Rules of the Game", the article discusses a number of reasons for optimism for Florida’s biotech research and cites an Ernst & Young Global Biotechnology Report for support. The report ranks Florida’s biotec... Read More