Great Patents On this Day On this day, January 3, in patent history, Marvin C. Stone invented the paper drinking straw. Prior to Stone’s invention, people used to drink beverages from rye grass or other hollow reed grasses. Marvin Stone, a civil war veteran enjoyed mint tulips. However, drinking mint tulips from musky grasses ruined Read more about Great Patents on this Day – January 3[…]
The invention of the modern Christmas has been relatively recent. Some claim that the modern Christmas was invented when Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843. Prior to 1843, Christmas varied between a pagan rooted solstice ritual and a Mardi-Gras type event where party goers travelled house-to-house demanding wine and food. In the middle Read more about The Surprising Inventions of Christmas[…]
Growing up, I wasn’t a huge fan of ABBA. However, over time I have grown to appreciate it for what it is. Maybe I have mellowed, maybe I like it more because it isn’t on every music station, maybe I have just listened to the music. Whatever the case, I grown to appreciate their music. Read more about ABBA files Lawsuit to Prevent Loss of Goodwill[…]
Learning about a Patent One of the most common questions we get is, “What does a patent actually do?” To understand what a patent does, it helps to first understand what a patent doesn’t do. A patent doesn’t give a patent owner the right to make, use or practice their invention. A patent give the Read more about What Does a Patent Actually do?[…]
Trademarking Domain Names In a win for a business owner, the Supreme Court recently held that a company’s website which used a .com ending was protectable as a trademark, reversing the decision of the trademark office. Booking.com had attempted to register its domain, Booking.com and the USPTO rejected the application claiming it was generic. The Read more about Trademark Office looses Challenge, Website Owner Gets Trademark[…]
Nike just settled its two-week old trademark battle against “Satan Shoes” seller MSCHF Product Studio Inc. MSCHF is a Brooklyn-based collective of artists and designers which creates artwork in novel and unique ways. For example, one of their projects included selling a virus infected laptop for $1.35 million, selling a dog collar which cursed when Read more about Satan Lost his Shoes in the Latest Trademark Battle[…]
For centuries, in the art world supply, demand and consumer impression have dictated the value of a work of art. The scarcity of a highly demanded work is often one of the key components in determining the price. However, in a digital world the price is deflated by uncontrolled and uncontrollable reproduction of the image. Read more about NFTs Huge Impact on Sale of Digital Artwork[…]
Inventions by Computers Computers are now capable of helping with many of our daily and routine tasks. Computers are also being used to solve some of our most difficult and complex problems. In some cases this is done without human interaction as part of an artificial intelligence system. Recently, the USPTO said these computers are Read more about Patent Applications Limited to Human Inventors, not SkyNet[…]
The Duchess of Sussex a/k/a Meghan Markle has recently been in the news. In a recent interview with Oprah, the royal family member and American actress aired personal concerns and conversations within Britain’s royal family. The interview provided insight for many Americans into the royal family. However, the Duchess also made the news recently for Read more about Surprising History of Copyright Infringement[…]
In a year that is unlike any other, the pandemic has wrecked havoc on the trademark for Corona. First, consumers were confused about the association of the beer with the virus. Then, as a result of increased demand for alcoholic beverages, Corona was sued as a result of sales of fruity fizzy flavored beverages. One Read more about Crazy Year Causes Trademark Challenges to Corona Brand and Goodwill[…]