It’s likely at some point you’ve read something in a magazine or online that had a ™ by the name of a product. That is the symbol for trademark. A trademark is used to identify things that are produced or offered by a certain company, like the Adidas three strip trademark. Yes, stripes can be […]
Widerman Malek Law Blog
How to Determine if a Patent has Expired
There is not one way to determine if a patent has expired. It takes some research, and if anyone tells you “it looks like it may have expired,” run. They don’t know what they’re talking about. Here are some ways to help you determine if it’s “still alive.” Look at the front page – If […]
How to keep your product from being counterfeited
As a business owner, the last thing you want or need is to find out some third-rate company is making knockoffs of your product and selling them to your consumers. Not only might someone try to take you to court if the knockoff causes harm, it also severely harms your sales and hits you in […]
5 Ways to Prevent Being a Victim of Cyber Crime
We would all like to think that Cyber Crime does not exist but it’s real; very real. We hear of this happening to other people and we think it will never happen to us. Yes, you might dodge that bullet, but you are just as much at risk as the next person. Here are 5 […]
How to Choose the Right Patent Attorney
As an inventor, you know everything there is to know about your inventions. You’ve studied it, revised it, tested it and shared it (at least with a few good friends). Well, now that you’ve done your part, it’s time to find the right attorney who has also studied and skillfully mastered his craft to handle […]
Do I Need to Copyright My Website?
Most websites have a copyright notice in the footer, which is placed there as a normal practice by website designers. It let’s the world know that the owner of the website has done their due diligence in protecting their content. But what exactly does it mean and what protection does it provide? What is a […]
Monkey’s Selfie Cannot be copyrighted
In a recent event, British photojournalist David Slater, has accused Wikipedia of copyright infringement when the organization allegedly refused to take down a photo taken by a monkey using the camera belonging to Slater. The picture in question is a selfie taken by a black Macaca Nigra monkey, who during a photo shoot in Indonesia […]
A ‘Sweet’ Patent Judgment for Louisiana State University
Just recently Quest Nutrition LLC sued Louisiana State University in court over the rights to a sweetener the university had developed. A case like this highlights the need to have working agreements that lead to patenting written very clearly and then be legally documented. Any ambiguity in the terms of the working agreement has the […]
Anti-Plagiarism Tools: the new Weapon Against Copyright Violations and Other Intellectual Property Violations
Years and years ago it was very uncommon to find an experienced lawyer in anyplace but a big city when it came to intellectual property law. Nowadays you can find them even in the smallest towns. The reason for this is the rise of the internet and other media that ease the access to an […]
Food for Thought: Images on the Internet
In this day and age where anyone can write a blog or put up a website many use images found on the internet to use to make their blog more interesting. Many times these bloggers or website owners will then be shut down after getting a threatening letter from an attorney over the use of […]
