Year: 2014

Patent Medicine

This year, I made homemade Satsuma, Navel Orange, Grapefruit, Lime, and Kumquat “Cello” (liqueur) for Christmas presents for a number of friends and some of my work colleagues. Because I’m a Registered Patent Attorney, it’s labeled as “Patent Medicine,” which

Turkey Thermometer Patent

Given the Thanksgiving holiday, I thought it appropriate to post about a Thanksgiving-related patent, namely, U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,103 issued to Anthony Volk on September 18, 1973. If you’re interested in the history of turkey thermometers, the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center

Louisiana State Trademark Registration

Louisiana law permits businesses to register trademarks with the Louisiana Secretary of State; and, in fact, many businesses do so, thinking that a Louisiana trademark registration provides them with substantive rights. Unfortunately, they are wrong. You see, a trademark is

Copyright Assignments

In a previous post, I discussed who owns copyright to a work in view of Copyright law’s so called “Work Made For Hire” doctrine. As mentioned, the answer is somewhat shocking to people who are unfamiliar with the law. Put

DMCA Misconceptions

I’ve seen some articles published recently, and I thought it might be a good idea to clear up two misconceptions about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), in particular, the provisions which limit liability for online service providers who take

The Southern Food and Beverage Museum is Open

The Southern Food and Beverage Museum is Open! Here are some pics (and, their library is pretty cool… with a 1918 edition of Fannie Farmer’s Boston Cooking School Cookbook and Modernist Cuisine within about 10 feet of each other). [nggallery

Huey Lewis v. Ray Parker, Jr.

In view of it being the 30th anniversary of the release of the original Ghostbusters movie, here’s some interesting legal trivia. But first, listen to this. Then, listen to this. Now, do you hear some similarities? Huey Lewis did, and

What is the difference between patents, copyrights, and trademarks?

What’s the difference between a patent, a copyright, and a trademark? Well, there’s the short answer and there’s the long answer. The Short answer is that trademarks protect brand names, copyrights protect artistic expression, and patents protect new ideas. For

Are you thinking about getting an iPhone 6?

I use an iPhone for work, and I also write legal apps for the iPhone and iPad, including Federal Civil Procedure. However, I have never reviewed new apple products. So, if you’re on the fence about whether you should buy

How to comply with the “safe harbor” provisions of the DMCA (17 USC § 512)

Did you know that, for a website operator to take advantage of Section 512(c) of the DMCA, he must designate a Copyright Agent with the United States Copyright Office? This means that some businesses who think they can rely on

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