Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into business models across industries and it is not hard to see why. After all, it can increase operational efficiency and reduce costs by quickly creating...more
It’s cold in southeastern Wisconsin, and that can mean only one thing—it’s nearly Girl Scout Cookie season and time to restock my favorites for the year. On learning that the cookie Toast-Yay!® will be retiring, I wondered...more
Celebrated on the first day of every year, Public Domain Day marks the day works with copyrights that expired the year prior enter the public domain. While the calculations to determine copyright expiration can be complicated...more
Copyrights protect creative works. Trademarks protect indicators of source. Can a creative work also act as a trademark? Yes, and the character of Mickey Mouse as portrayed in Disney’s animated classic Steamboat Willie is a...more
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has extended the After Final Consideration Pilot Program 2.0 through September 30, 2024. This program (the AFCP 2.0) allows applicants to request a patent examiner be given additional time...more
If you’re celebrating Taco Tuesday, where are you going? If you answered anything other than Taco John’s, you’re guilty of aiding in trademark genericization. Taco John’s (now owned by Spicy Seasonings, LLC) obtained a...more
On June 8, 2023, in a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court of the United States found in favor of Jack Daniel’s in deciding that a whiskey bottle-inspired dog toy, “Bad Spaniels,” used Jack Daniel’s trademarks in a...more
On April 18, 2023 the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will start issuing Electronic Patent Grants (eGrants).
Under the current paper-laden system and toward the end of the patent prosecution process, a...more
Public Domain Day is one of the lesser known winter holidays celebrated by the elite few – artists of all sorts and copyright attorneys. We either mourn the passing of works into the public domain after decades of keeping...more
For sale, or not for sale-
That is the question in Larry G. Junker v. Medical Components Inc. et al., case that started in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and which has now been appealed to...more
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was intended to give copyright owners protection against online infringement and service providers a safe harbor when service users infringe copyrights in works displayed online....more