Go, Fight, Win: SCOTUS Says Cheerleading Uniforms Are Functional AND Creative

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Arthur

Stuffed miniature mascots in cheerleading uniforms. Monthly calendars featuring cheerleaders. Clothing designed to mimic cheerleading uniforms. What do all of these have in common? They are sold in university gift shops and, under the Supreme Court’s latest decision on cheerleading uniforms, they are likely infringing works. The US Supreme Court recently ruled that fashionable 2-D and 3-D Read more about Go, Fight, Win: SCOTUS Says Cheerleading Uniforms Are Functional AND Creative[…]

The MET Announces Access to Free Images

Posted on March 31, 2017March 31, 2017 by Arthur

The Metropolitan Museum announced access to nearly 400,000 images – for free. The Museum provides these images under an Open Access license for all public-domain works in the Met collection. The Creative Commons Zero (“CC0”) license allows use of the images without restriction. Entrepreneurs, artists, and business owners can now use and share these images Read more about The MET Announces Access to Free Images[…]

Using copyright litigation to stop copyright infringement being stolen

Posted on August 25, 2016October 27, 2016 by Arthur

One photographer, Carol Highsmith, is suing Getty Images for more than $1 billion for allegedly selling her copyrighted work to the public without permission and with incorrect attribution. In her lawsuit, Highsmith, states that she first learned Getty was selling her copyrighted photographs when one of Getty’s affiliates sent her a cease and desist letter Read more about Using copyright litigation to stop copyright infringement being stolen[…]

FBI Anti-Piracy Seal

Posted on July 27, 2012December 1, 2016 by Arthur

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has finalized a new policy regarding the use of the FBI Anti-Piracy Warning Seal (APW Seal or FBI Anti-Piracy Seal). The new policy provides a general authorization allowing all copyright holders to use the APW Seal, subject to specific conditions of use. The APW Seal has been generally helpful Read more about FBI Anti-Piracy Seal[…]

Tweets Aren’t Trade Secrets

Posted on April 4, 2012December 1, 2016 by Arthur

The explosive expansion of social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn have given rise to numerous intellectual property issues, including the ownership and value of a “Friend,” “Like” or “Tweet.” A recent case PhoneDog v. Noah Kravitz may address some of these issues. In PhoneDog, a California Court is being asked to determine Read more about Tweets Aren’t Trade Secrets[…]

Unpatentable Natural Phenomena

Posted on March 21, 2012December 1, 2016 by Arthur

The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in Mayo v. Prometheus was announced yesterday. In the 9-0 unanimous ruling the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that “[L]aws of nature, natural phenomena, and abstract ideas” are not patentable subject matter under §101 of the Patent Act,” citing to Diamond v. Diehr, 450 U. S. 175, 185. “[A]n application of Read more about Unpatentable Natural Phenomena[…]

American Invents Act

Posted on March 12, 2012December 1, 2016 by Arthur

Summary of Key Provisions and associated Effective Dates On September 16, 2011, President Obama Signed the Patent Reform Act of 2011, (also referred to as AIA or the American Invents Act) into law. The Act made the most significant changes in US patent law since the 1952 Patent Act. The stated purpose was that the Read more about American Invents Act[…]

SOPA/PIPA and WIKI – the new “SIT IN”

Posted on January 19, 2012June 19, 2012 by Arthur

The recent buzz across the internet yesterday was the equivalent of a 21st century “Sit In” as websites and internet users demonstrated against SOPA and PIPA. SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act, which is related to the recently (October 26, 2011) proposed legislation [H.R. 3261] introduced by the Lamar S. Smith (R-TX) who was Read more about SOPA/PIPA and WIKI – the new “SIT IN”[…]

The Next Transformers Battle

Posted on January 13, 2012June 19, 2012 by Arthur

Hasbro, the famous toy maker, has filed a trademark infringement suit against computer maker, Asus over the use of the “Transformer” mark. Asus, the maker of iPad tablet type of computers, unveiled the new “Eee Pad Transformer,” an Android-based tablet that can convert to a notebook via a docking station. Last month, Asus expanded their Read more about The Next Transformers Battle[…]

Google continues to acquire patents from IBM

Posted on January 5, 2012June 19, 2012 by Arthur

Google continues to buy more patents from IBM, in fact it appears that Google has bought another 188 U.S. patents and 29 patent applications from IBM. Some speculate that Google has been buying patents from IBM and others to help it defend its Android software from the challenges involving Apple’s iPhone. Google’s largest deal so Read more about Google continues to acquire patents from IBM[…]