A Board Certified Patent Attorney
SHIFT IN PATENT LAWS INCREASES LITIGATION
According to an article written by Christopher Hayes and quoted in the Progress Report, a shift in patent laws over the past ten years has resulted in increased “methods and system” patents, which have opened the flood gates on the amounts of patent claims, and given greater control to big business over innovative ideas. The article cites the example of Rocco Monteleone, who ope... Read More
Miami based Wheel Manufacturer Provides Low-End Prices for Premium Trademark Brands
Founded in 2004 in Miami, Modular Wheels has created a new 2006 line of customized wheels for such luxury trademark names as Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Mercedes, and BMW vehicles. According to the article at businesswire.com, the average costs for custom wheels for these vehicles is usually between the $1,000 to $1,500 range. Modular Wheels has cut that down between $350 to $550, a savings of ... Read More
Florida Ranks Third in U.S. Popularity for Novel Settings
According to an article in Business Wire, publishing statistics compiled by Bowker list Florida as third, behind California and Texas as the most popular fictional state setting in the United States released in novels today. Romance, mystery & detective, science fiction, and western genres comprised half of all adult fiction published in the United States. The entire article can be fou... Read More
United States Patent & Trademark Office May Limit Continuing Applications
On January 3, 2006, the United States Patent & Trademark Office said it may limit the ability of a company to file continuing applications that allow it to revise or modify its existing patent claims, according to an article at MSNBC.com. The reasoning behind this new rule concerns the growing backlog of patent applications that are waiting to be reviewed by patent examiner’s at ... Read More
Posted By John Rizvi In Patent Cases, News & Updates, Patent Office Limiting Continuation Patent Applications Permalink
Inventor in St. Petersburg, Florida Sues U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
A Florida inventor and holder of two patents is suing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Again. Inventor, David W.R. Brown, of St. Petersburg, Florida, holds two U.S. Patents and is seeking a refund of the $969 he was charged for records he requested under the Freedom of Information Act. According to an article in the St. Petersburg Times, this is the sixth time he has sued the U.... Read More
University of Florida Mechanical Engineering Student Files for Patent on Orthopedic Robot
A University of Florida mechanical and aerospace engineering student, Scott Banks, has designed a robot to shadow and shoot X-ray video of orthopedic injury patients according to an article in Physorg.com. The robot augments static images of patients’ bones, muscles and joints with active video showing interior views during mormal activity. The University of Florida has filed a... Read More
Florida Company Gives New Meaning to Cold Cash
According to an article in Anderson Independent-Mail, Ice House America, a Florida-based company, has patented an ice machine that dispenses both 16-pound bags and 20-pound loads of loose ice, at a cheaper cost than those of grocery or convenience stores. These ice-houses are capable of producing more than 500 16-pound bags of ice per day. This new technology being patented by the United St... Read More
Tampa, Florida Internet Company Sued for Trademark Infringement for Novelty Pay Stubs
Ever wish your pay stub showed a higher salary? Well, an internet company in Tampa, Florida offers to print a novelty pay stub for $89.95 that looks genuine according to an article in Newsday. The company’s novelty paycheck stubs, however, are at the center of a trademark infringement lawsuit brought in San Jose, California. New Jersey based Automatic Data Processing, Inc. believes th... Read More
Patent Eases Elimination (Ah, What Sweet Release)
Ginacor, Inc. has patented and is now ready to market its HealthStep bathroom device for enabling effective bowel elimination. An article at send2press.com reports that Ginacor, Inc. has also received the approval of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). HealthStep helps a person eliminate with less effort and is a blessing for all who are suffering from hemorrhoids, constipation, bloating, and... Read More
Fort Lauderdale, Florida Based Generic Drug Manufacturer, Andrx Corporation, Found Not Guilty of Patent Infringement
A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, based pharmaceutical company, Andrx Corporation, has been successful in its defense of a patent infringement lawsuit brought by UK-based AstraZeneca PLC over its Toprol-XL hypertension treatment. As the patents on AstraZeneca’s drug were found be be invalid, Florida based Andrx Corporation may be permitted to continue producing the medication for hypertensi... Read More
Boca Raton Company Victorious in First Patent Infringement Case
Lexington International, LLC, a Florida company based in Boca Raton, prevailed in its patent infringement lawsuit against Phototonic Research and LBI Investments, Inc. According to the article in PR Web, Lexington International, LLC, which manufactures and distributes the HairMax LaserComb internationally, initiated the litigation to send a message to manufacturers of substandard products on the m... Read More
Invent Something? Plan Marketing Carefully” Offers Good Advice
In a column in the The Herald in Bradenton, Florida, entitled “Invent Something? Plan Marketing Carefully“, business columnist Jerry Osteryoung offers good advice to inventors looking to hire a patent attorney to assist them in securing legal rights to their ideas. Jerry Osteryoung is a finance professor at Florida State University and executive director of the Jim Moran Institu... Read More
Scripps Research Institute Encounters Trademark Squatters in South Florida
The Scripps Research Institute is grappling with the unauthorized registration of their trademark with the Florida Division of Corporations. The name was registered by South Florida residents Virginia Scott of Jupiter, Florida and David Heilman of Lake Worth, Florida, according to an article in the South Florida Business Journal. Other names allegedly improperly registered by the Lake Worth... Read More
Protecting Confidential Business Information Under Trade Secret Law
Sometimes the nature of a new method of doing business or a new idea does not lend itself to effective trademark, copyright or patent protection. It may still be possible to provide some protection for these ideas through contract or trade secret law. The formula used for the Coca Cola brand soft drink is a classic example of a successful trade secret with a long life. Unlike patent, tradem... Read More
Preventing Unfair Business Competition
As any successful entrepreneur will tell you, there are a multitude of competitive risks faced by companies that, although unfair, are perfectly legal. As such, the term “unfair competition law” is actually an illusory term and one of the most difficult areas of intellectual property to define. Unfair competition law encompasses a variety of types of commercial or business condu... Read More