T or F? Improvements to old technologies may be patented. True. You actually can get a patent on an improvement to an old technology as long as the improvement is something new and it’s not just an obvious improvement—that’s the key. In fact, most technologies are just improvements to things that have come before. T […]
Widerman Malek Law Blog
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 […]
What Documents are Needed When Filing an Application for a Patent
Magazines, books, comics, clothing, and a ton of other products have specialized trademarks on them. These trademarks are used to acknowledge the source of the products. For written works, art, and anything in the artistic spectrum, copyright laws apply. Patents are different from trademarks or copyright because they deal solely with an invention of some […]
The Major Differences between Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks
Trademarks, copyrights, and patents are all available to the public upon request. You do not have to be a business owner or part of a major company to apply for one of them. You must have something unique that is not a copy of someone else’s work in order to be granted a patent, copyright, […]
The Government and Patent No. 6,630,507
Do you know what Patent No. 6,630,507 is? It’s the patent that the government gave itself for the use of medical marijuana. Yes. You read this right. The government who voiced so strongly that marijuana has no positive medical affect constituting the legalization of the drug. So if that is indeed the case, why are […]
Patent Map and the Map Patent Controversy
What is a Patent Map A patent is the special right given to the originator to build or retail the patented product. A patent map is the graphical or visual model of the complete patent information. This map enables the company To recognize the patents in a specific technology field To understand the various information […]
“19% Employees Laid Off” – Is Everything Fine with Intellectual Ventures?
Since its foundation in 2000 by Microsoft veterans Edward Jung and Nathan Myhrvold, Intellectual Ventures has managed to raise $6 billion in investments and acquire 70,000 intellectual assets. Some of their investors included technical giants Intel, Nokia, Adobe, Microsoft, Google, Sap, Sony, Apple, Yahoo, eBay American Express, NVIDIA, and investment companies Stanford, Mayo Clinic, the […]
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 […]
Patent Wars Aid Growth of Patent Jobs
We have seen patent wars waged between titans such as Google, Samsung and Apple and it has made us all aware of the importance of Intellectual Property (IP) laws and copyright infringements. While the patent wars may not have been financially beneficial to the companies in question, another sector has been growing in number and […]
Old Patents are Selling like Hot Cakes
There was a time when patents were guarded as treasures and no competitor was ever going to get close enough for a peek. In fact, enforcement of Intellectual Property (IP) laws became a big business and businesses were on the constant lookout for patent thieves. However, there is a twist in the scenario now and […]
