The Briefing: Trademark Basics - Protecting Names, Logos, and Brands in Entertainment
The Rise of OTAs in Defense Contracting: Opportunities, Risks, and What Contractors Need to Know
Money-Saving Licensing Tips for Startups
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - Cease and Desist Letters: Protecting Your Intellectual Property the Right Way
PODCAST: PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - Cease and Desist Letters: Protecting Your Intellectual Property the Right Way
A Counterintuitive Approach to Winning Without Litigation: One-on-One with Haley Morrison
SkadBytes Podcast | Tech’s Shifting Landscape: Five Trends Shaping the Conversation
Tips for Conducting a Trade Secret Assessment with Rob Jensen
Will I Get Sued if I Create Another Hospital Drama? — No Infringement Intended Podcast
Essential Steps to Sell Your Business
Mickey Mouse: un ratón con abogado
(Podcast) The Briefing: The Ninth Circuit Puts the Brakes on Eleanor’s Copyright Claim
The Briefing: The Ninth Circuit Puts the Brakes on Eleanor’s Copyright Claim
Unexpected Paths to IP Law with Dan Young and Colin White
Why Can't I Clean the Graffiti Off My Walls? — No Infringement Intended Podcast
(Podcast) The Briefing: Trademark Smoked: The Fall of General Cigar’s COHIBA Registration
The Briefing: Trademark Smoked: The Fall of General Cigar’s COHIBA Registration
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - NCAA Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) Update – Effects of House Settlement
How IP Can Fuel Your Startup's Growth
The USPTO recently announced that they would expedite patent issuance by reducing the time between Issue Notification and Issue Date. Effective May 13, 2025, patents will now issue approximately two weeks after receiving the...more
Rumor has it that one of many behind-the-scenes changes being implemented at the USPTO relates to how (or when) continuing applications are taken up for examination. Typically, an examiner may give priority to a continuing...more
The Canadian Patent Office (CIPO) has advised that as of January 14, 2025, it had granted patents for which final fees were processed in the old system. CIPO has started to process applications where final fees were paid in...more
On February 11, 2025, the European Commission withdrew its longstanding, and much debated, proposal for standard essential patent (SEP) regulation. The withdrawal was met with mixed reactions, with SEP holders largely...more
On Thursday, January 16, 2025, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) announced that Commissioner Rhonda K. Schmidtlein will step down on February 1, 2025. Commissioner Schmidtlein was sworn in on April 28, 2014 and...more
A few weeks ago, someone at a holiday party asked “Whitt, why doesn’t Budding Trends take on the weighty legal issues of the day and instead resort to cheap pop culture references and puns?” I thought about responding with a...more
The Promoting and Respecting Economically Vital American Innovation Leadership (“PREVAIL”) Act has moved to the Senate for a full vote after passing the Senate Judiciary Committee vote 11-10 on November 21, 2024. In...more
The U.S. technology landscape is poised to experience significant transformations under the second Trump administration. Key sectors such as the semiconductor industry, autonomous vehicles, and digital payments may experience...more
On 30 September 2024, the UK Department of Science, Innovation and Technology announced that the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (Bill) will be introduced to Parliament in 2025. The Bill was first announced in the King’s...more
Last month the new Labour government in the UK announced in the King’s Speech that it will introduce new artificial intelligence (AI) rules alongside cybersecurity and digital information bills. A brief overview of these...more
The Situation: Senate Bill 150 ("S.B. 150")—the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2023—unanimously passed the Senate and would amend 35 U.S.C. § 272(e) to limit, under certain circumstances, the number of patents...more
On 23 April, the Italian Council of Ministers passed a bill (AI Bill) aimed at introducing national AI provisions. The main scope is to establish regulatory criteria to balance the opportunities offered by new technologies...more
On April 19, 2024, the USPTO issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the “Notice”) regarding discretionary denial in post-grant proceedings and other issues. The Notice addresses stakeholder feedback responsive to the...more
Welcome to the March edition of Akin Intelligence. This month, the EU AI Act was approved by the European Parliament, moving one step closer to becoming the first major AI law. In the U.S., the DOJ brought criminal charges...more
As we enter 2024 the myriad of regulatory changes can appear overwhelming. We are here to help and have set out below some key changes and issues that can impact Bermuda entities. Bermuda has introduced a corporate income tax...more
The U.S. Copyright Office is seeking public comment on its proposal to create a group registration option for “frequently updated news websites.”...more
On October 30, the U.S. government released its long-awaited, sweeping executive order (the AI EO or Order) on artificial intelligence (AI). The Order directs various U.S. government departments and agencies to evaluate AI...more
On October 12, 2023, the Wisconsin legislature introduced Assembly Bill 481, which proposes the ban of employee non-compete agreements in the Badger State. Currently, employee non-compete agreements in Wisconsin are allowed...more
On October 30, 2023, President Biden signed the Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (the “Federal AI Executive Order”), a long-awaited executive order that builds upon the Biden...more
On October 30, President Biden signed a sprawling executive order governing the development, testing, and use of artificial intelligence (AI). Formally titled, "Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy...more
IP rights can be vital to the success of medical device companies. Significant legislative changes governing some of these rights may be on the horizon. Senators Coons (Delaware), Durbin (Illinois), Hirono (Hawaii), and...more
The European Commission's ("EC") Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Standard Essential Patents COM(2023) 232 final (27 Apr 2023) (the "Proposed Regulation") was issued by the Commission...more
The Senate recently introduced a bill directed to substantially narrowing the scope of post grant proceedings, including Inter Partes Reviews (“IPRs”), before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”). First introduced by a...more
On June 1, 2023, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) introduced amendments to fee schedules set out in the Patent Rules, Trademarks Regulations, Industrial Design Regulations, and Copyright Regulations and will...more
Following the recent passage through the New York State Senate, on June 20, 2023, the New York State Assembly voted to approve a bill, which, if enacted, would ban all post-employment non-compete agreements. We previously...more