21Jan
Protect Your Idea: Non Disclosure Agreements Explained
Non Disclosure Agreements
Client’s frequently call wanting to know how they can disclose the invention to a prototype maker, a manufacturer, an investor or a potential buyer without them stealing their idea. I usually suggest using a non-disclosure agreement, often called and NDA, to protect the confidentiality of their idea. A nondisclosure agreement is actually a contract between one party such as the inventor who has the information and another party called the recipient that wants to receive the information. The main purpose of the Non-disclosure agreement is to ensure that the information remains secret and is not stolen. Often, the receiving party,...
09Jan
Provisional Patent Applications: Quick & Cost-Effective Protection
Provisional Patent Applications: Quick & Cost-Effective Protection
Very often, I’m contacted by someone that has an invention but doesn’t know what to do next. First, as I explained in a Video called Patent Searching, I recommend doing a Patent Search. The next step is to protect the invention while the marketing effort proceeds. In some cases, a prototype has to be made, or a website built or a licensing effort is started. If the invention is still in the developmental stage, a Provisional Patent Application can provide the quickest, most economical way to protect the invention. A Provisional Patent Application usually includes...
26Dec
Apple Brilliant Patent: 3 Ways It Cools Devices Efficiently
Apple Brilliant Patent
On November 6th, the Apple company patented the “ionic wind generator,” which is referred to in the patent as, “a method and apparatus for cooling electronic devices.” Anyone who owns an Apple product, whether it’s a MacBook or an iPod, knows that this new device is much needed. While it doesn’t always pose a danger, electronics tend to get hot with use. Apple’s new patent outlines a system for cooling that employs an ionic wind pump which utilizes magnets in order to send cool air to certain parts of an electronic machine. Sensors in the device tell the pump...
17Dec
Deceptive Advertising Case: FTC Wins $2M Against Clickbooth
FTC Fines Clickbooth $2M for Deceptive Advertising on Fake News Sites
In the case of the Federal Trade Commission vs. Clickbooth, an affiliate network, the FTC won. Clickbooth must pay $2 million to the FTC as a settlement. The case claimed that Clickbooth misled consumers by placing untrue weight loss claims on various fake news sites. The products that were being offered were colon cleansers and acai berry supplements. The $2 million that the FTC has collected from the case will be used to refund customers who bought the deceptive products. On top of the settlement payout, Clickbooth also has to adhere...
16Nov
Intellectual Property: 4 Key Types & Protection Tips
Understanding Intellectual Property: Protect Your Ideas
Intellectual property (IP) is the legal definition used to encompass inventions and artistic works, including ideas. Anything that’s practical on a commercial level can be considered IP. This includes copyrights, patents and trademarks. In many ways, IP is legally handled the same way other material products are. There are four main types of IP litigation: copyright law, patent law, trademark law and trade secret law. People often mistakenly assume that IP includes any thought that passes through their mind. However, in order to have a case for IP theft or infringement, the idea needs to...
11Nov
Design Patent FAQ: 4 Vital Insights to Secure Your Innovative Design
How an invention looks can be as important as what it does.
Over the past few decades, the plethora of content that falls under “Intellectual Property” has radically changed and developed. What hasn´t changed is that inventors and innovators still require protection for their designs, ideas, brands, and products. Patent attorneys like Howard M. Cohn, who have been in the IP area of law for 30 years or more, have experienced every aspect of the preparation and prosecution of provisional and non-provisional patents, trademarks and service marks, patent infringement matters, licensing patented inventions, licensing negotiations, and copyright matters. Getting the right patent...
10Sep
Copyright Your Software: 3 Key Reasons for Strong Protection
Copyright Your Software law is the most important legal protection available to software publishers. Here's why.
One of the best ways for software authors to protect their work is to register it with the U.S. Copyright Office. Registration is easy and cheap. For the significant benefits copyright provides, it's one of the great insurance deals of all time. You don't have to register your work to get copyright protection — the instant your software becomes fixed in a tangible medium, you own the copyright. That means that no one may copy, distribute, display, or make adaptations of the work without your...
04Aug
