Day: September 8, 2016

written by Roy Rosser, Ph.D., Patent Agent www.GearhartLaw.com A Brief History of Animated Turkey Decoys, told in Patents Yes, it’s that time of year again, already. Time to man up, load the 12 gauge and shoot yourself a turkey. Having cleaned the shotgun and ironed my freshly washed camo outfit, I was sorting through my extensive...

written by James Klocubar, Esq., Patent Attorney at Gearhart Law www.GearhartLaw.com The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has finalized amendments to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR Act) clarifying the scope of reportable transactions involving the transfer of rights in a patent in the pharmaceutical (including biologics and medicine manufacturing) industry. The final rule defines and applies the...

written by James Klobucar, Esq., Patent Attorney at Gearhart Law www.GearhartLaw.com Innovation Act of 2013: Taking Aim At Patent Trolls Just recently, patent reform legislation was introduced to Congress by a bipartisan group led by House Judiciary Committee Chairperson Bob Goodlatte (R-Va). The bill (H.R. 3309) is being tentatively referred to as the “Innovation Act of...

Not another fitness craze – Erector® Sets for grownups!. written by Roy Rosser, Ph.D., Patent Agent www.GearhartLaw.com In 1949, two innovators faced a problem familiar to most inventors and entrepreneurs – how to construct a prototype of an idea without spending much money. Custom engineering – particularly of precision parts – can be horrendously expensive.   And...

written by Elizabeth Gearhart, Ph.D., Patent Agent at Gearhart Law www.GearhartLaw.com We all want more transparency from our government, don’t we? Well, the USPTO heard our pleas, and they’ve launched a ‘Patents Dashboard’. It shows a variety of stats for recent months, and some for previous years too. You can see how long it takes...

written by Susanne Somersalo, Ph.D., Esq., Patent Attorney at Gearhart Law www.GearhartLaw.com The European Patent system has been complicated and expensive: once a European patent is allowed by the European Patent Office (EPO), it needs to be ratified in each individual country. The ratification process includes national fees and in many cases it still requires...

written by Roy Rosser, Ph.D. Patent Agent www.GearhartLaw.com

Is it Atomic Chicken Wire? Is it the Usain Bolt of Crystals? Yes, it’s the new Super Material Graphene

Since 2010, when the discoverers of graphene were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics, this latest miracle material has had Angel Investors leaping tall buildings – and the Patent Office...

Written by Susanne Somersalo, Ph.D., Esq., Patent Attorney at Gearhart Law www.GearhartLaw.com As was discussed in last week’s blog, a US design patent is an alternative way to get some protection for an invention in the United States. A design patent is valid for 14 years and protects the ornamental design of the invention. Many other...

Why would anyone want a design patent? Design Patents Part One: US patent system written by Elizabeth Gearhart, Ph.D., Patent Agent at Gearhart Law www.GearhartLaw.com Why would anyone want a design patent? 2 reasons: time money Caveat:   the protection from a design patent is very narrow compared to a utility patent. Compare a typical design patent application to a...

Written by Roy Rosser, Ph.D. Patent Agent visit our website at www.GearhartLaw.com Do you need international patent protection, and when do you have to decide? This post describes the method used to file in foreign countries with a timeline for filings. In a nutshell, you have one year from filing a US provisional or...