19 July

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Now is the Time to Invent and Patent

Posted by Michael

Companies have started to change their attitudes about accepting outside idea submissions from lone inventors. In the past, many companies instituted policies rejecting any outside idea submissions and instead relied on their internal R&D departments to come up with new products. Many of these companies did so to avoid potential patent infringement or other IP claims.However, with the change in the economy, many companies are cutting back in their R&D budgets, so they are realizing that accepting outside ideas to buy or license is more cost effective. A prime example is Procter & Gamble, where Greg Swartz of Arizona, a...

30 June

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Michael Jackson the Inventor had a Patent.

Posted by Michael

in Patent

Who knew? Michael Jackson held a registered patent for anti-gravity footwear. Do you remember his incredible dance moves from the “Smooth Criminal” video when he would lean forward at extreme angles without falling? Turns out his magic moves were assisted by his anti-gravity shoes as patented in United States Patent Reg. No. 5,255,452 for a “Method and Means for Creating Anti-Gravity Illusion.”Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion Michael J. Jackson et al: “” In the actual video of Smooth Criminal, his dancers had to be restrained with harnesses in order to achieve the nearly 45-degree angle lean. But for live...

17 June

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Domain Name Escrow Service

Posted by Michael

in Domain

The Law Office of Michael N. Cohen, PC offers domain name escrow services. Most parties prefer the use of an experienced domain name attorney for the transfer of an important domain name to reduce the likelihood of fraud. Please visit our website for more information regarding our domain name escrow service. Los Angeles Trademark Lawyer...

09 June

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Top Trademark Attorneys US 2008

Posted by Michael

in Trademark

The Law Office of Michael N. Cohen, P.C. is proud to annouce that it was ranked amoung the top trademark firms in the United States in the April 2009 edition of Intellectual Property Today Magazine.Intellectual Property Today Magazine is a promenient monthly publication focused on legal issues in patent, trademark and copyright law. Los Angeles Trademark Lawyer...

06 June

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Candy.com Domain Name Sells for $3,000,000!

Posted by Michael

in Domain

Is this about the power of candy or the power of domain name real estate? It was reported that Candy.com was sold by the Florida based G&J Holdings for $3,000,000 to Melville Candy Company of Massachusetts. This is the same company runned by Rick Schwartz who sold iReport.com to CNN for $750,000. After the sale of toys.com sold earlier this year for $5,100,000, the candy.com sale is the second largest domain name purchase for 2009.Hopefully Schwartz had his domain name attorney draft a solid domain name sale agreement so that there are no disputes regarding the transaction. Los Angeles Trademark Lawyer...

02 June

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Supreme Court to Review Patent Case Regarding Business Method and Software Patents

Posted by Michael

in Patent

The fate of business method patents may be decided very soon since the US Supreme Court has decided to take on Bilski v. Doll. The case will set a significant precedent that will impact the validity of business method and even software patents. The Supreme Court will review the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s decision of Bilski which upheld a rejection of a patent application of a method for managing risk in commodities trading.As of now, there is much debate as to the patentability of business methods and software, like in the Bilski case. Typically the issue...

29 May

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Domain Name Dispute of googblog.com With Google’s Trademark

Posted by Michael

in Domain

Google came out victorious in a cybersquatting case against the owner of googblog.com. Just who owned googblog.com? A 17-year-old boy named Herit Shah from Gujarat, India. Google filed the dispute through the World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”), claiming that googblog.com is confusingly similar to Google’s trademarks.Further, Google uses ‘GOOG’ as their NASDAQ financial stock ticker since 2004. Google claims trademark rights to the term ‘Google’ as far back as 1997.Google’s domain name dispute lawyer got Shah to admit “I was in a bad faith that i can legally keep the domain googblog.com but when i kept myself in the place...

27 May

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Sonia Sotomayor an Intellectual Property Attorney?

Posted by Michael

in Patent

It turns out President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court was a partner at a firm that handled intellectual property litigation. In fact she ruled on an important copyright case, Tasini vs. New York Times, while she served as a federal judge for the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York. However, the case was later reversed by the appellate court and was then appealed again by the U.S. Supreme Court, in New York Times Co v. Tasini 533 U.S. 483 (2001). The case involved a claim of copyright infringement brought by freelance journalists against the New...

22 May

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Obtaining Your Domain Name Back From Cybersquatters Through UDRP

Posted by Michael

in Domain, Litigation

A common scenario for established or new companies occurs when its primary domain name has been seized by a cybersquattor. For example, imagine your company name and trademark is “Sizaroma.” You were able to register www.sizaroma.com but later www.sizaroma.net, www.sizaromas.com, and www.sizaaromas.com were registered by someone else, probably a guy in China who in bad faith, has no intention of ever using domains. Or worse, he later puts up a competing website in bad faith with similar goods and services feeding off the goodwill that you have worked so hard to create. That my friends is a cybersquatter. So what...

19 May

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No Trademark for Pussy

Posted by Michael

in Trademark

Certain things can be trademarked while other things cannot. Some of the “not” things are certain words or designs that are deemed to be immoral or scandalous under Section (2) of the Lanham Act. For example, remember when Damon Wayans tried to trademark “Nigga” for clothing? That got shut down by the examiner at the USPTO under Section (2).In a recent 27-page decision, the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board (“TTAB” or “Board”) refused registration of the mark PUSSY NATURAL ENERGY in connection with energy drinks on the basis of it being scandalous.Applicant’s attorney of course argued the predictable, that the...

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