Small Business IP Protection and Management

China Intellectual Property Infringement

China is boasting a 23% increase in convictions for intellectual property infringement.  Industry Week reports that 4,322 people were fined or sentenced to jail last year.

March Madness Trademark

It is that time of year again.  The time when the number of hits to this blawg increases for people trying to find out if "March Madness" is a registered trademark.  Click here to find the answer.

Harold McMaster Inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame

Link

Decrease in Patents Issued

The number of patents issued in the U.S. in 2007 dropped from the previous year according to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune.  There has been a downward trend in recent years.  According to the article, only 51 percent of applications were allowed in 2007, which is down from 72 percent in 2000. 

Patent Applications Filed

Patent Applications Pending Prior to Allowance

Summary of Pending Patent Applications

Patents Issued

Independent Inventors - On-line Chat

An on-line chat for independent inventors will be held on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 from 2:00 to 3:00 PM by the USPTO.  To enter the chat, inventors can click here.    The purpose of the chat is to answer questions individual inventors have regarding patents.  To view transcripts of prior chats, click here.  For a list of FAQ's, click here.

Impact of KSR v. Teleflex

There has been a substantial amount of commentary on the KSR v. Teleflex decision.  The impact of the decision was expected to be far reaching.  Currently, the USPTO is in the process of training Examiners for examining cases in view of the KSR decision, which means we should know soon what the actual impact will be.  However, based upon recent office actions received, and conversations with Examiners, the impact is not expected to be a big as what was expected.  But we should have the answer soon enough.

First Patent Issued in Toledo

What is the first patent to issue to a Toledo inventor?  A preliminary search shows U.S. Pat. No. 10,606 issued March 7, 1854 to Chauncey D. Woodruff for an Improved Mode of Suspending Eaves-Troughs.  Is it possible that it took 20 years for a patent to issue to a Toledo inventor after Toledo was founded in 1833?  Was there an earlier one?  What is the most famous patent to issue to a Toledo inventor?  Who is Toledo's most famous inventor?

Funding a New Business

For entrepreneurs struggling to fund a new business, there are some alternatives.  Top 25 Alternatives to Venture Capital provides a list of funding alternatives that can be explored.

Toledo Patents

Here is a listing of patents from the Toledo Blade which were issued in the Toledo area in May 2007.

March Madness Trademark

It is amazing the number of search hits this blawg gets for March Madness as a trademark this time of year.  In order to keep up with the demand, below is a post from a couple of years ago that might be of interest.  In addition to the information below, also see Wikipedia.

Is "March Madness" considered a trademark?  The short answer is yes, as decided by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division in 2003.  There is actually a class of registered trademarks owned by the March Madness Athletic Association.  Who is that you ask?  The MMAA is actually a holding company formed by the NCAA and the Illinois High School Association.  Sound like an odd combination?  Apparently, the IHSA has used the term "March Madness" since 1939 for a state high school basketball tournamnent.  For a full history of the term as used by the IHSA, visit the History of March Madness page of the IHSA web site.  The NCAA has been using the mark for nearly 25 years.