tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54003232853945909462024-03-19T01:28:16.023-07:00West & Associates Intellectual PropertyTop Trademark, Patent and Intellectual Property Attorney Reveals Tips & SecretsWest and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-73038904637169631922012-08-01T16:29:00.000-07:002012-08-01T16:29:21.639-07:00Yet another Trademark scam<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you have a registered trademark or pending trademark application with the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO), you might be the target of several scam companies. Since the basic information of your
trademark is public knowledge, scammers might try to confuse you and request
money in order to avoid what they allege in this notification
"cancellation of your mark". The picture below is an example of this problem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRj05yNiRG03SbU3dg8bwCVAC2Lm19jtK1GbnBVt9WRxwjEGumjL5ZQHfbOiepV5q2LD97ZSGRvI1rGF-pIx-co_7VRoMPMup4jYSVJ-YXoEE9FGp1uyA-AnNa6l12BFL68m3awStqumk/s1600/20120801-TM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRj05yNiRG03SbU3dg8bwCVAC2Lm19jtK1GbnBVt9WRxwjEGumjL5ZQHfbOiepV5q2LD97ZSGRvI1rGF-pIx-co_7VRoMPMup4jYSVJ-YXoEE9FGp1uyA-AnNa6l12BFL68m3awStqumk/s400/20120801-TM.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1.
If
you received a notification that requires you to make a payment for your trademark,
always contact your attorney before you send payment. All
your correspondence regarding your trademark will be sent to you by your
attorney. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2.
Most
of these scam notifications will
state on the bottom "<b>This is not an invoice" </b>or <b>"This
is not a bill"</b>, therefore is does NOT require you to make a payment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3.
Most
of these scam notifications will
state that they are in fact a "private corporation" and "This service has not been endorsed or approved by the
Federal Government and this offer is not being made by an
agency of the Federal Government". <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are several scams,
please be very careful! As a firm we are receive scams all the time. Our
clients call us questioning these "invoices". If you do not have an attorney,
your correspondence regarding your Trademark will be
from the USPTO <b>only.</b> Any other agency will be a scam.You can also contact us at <a href="mailto:info@westpatentlaw.com">info@westpatentlaw.com</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> for a consultation. </span>West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-46080296793319776722011-10-03T16:13:00.000-07:002011-10-03T17:25:33.769-07:00Changes In Patent Laws<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="mailto:event@westpatentlaw.com"><span style="color: red;">Click Here to RSVP and Register</span></a> for our FREE seminar on Patent Law Changes in Walnut Creek on October 11, 2011</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">As of September 16, 2011, the U.S. Patent Laws will shortly be changed forever from a first-to-invent system, to a first-to-file under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. There are numerous changes within the timeline of this law from the date of enactment to 18 months out that will completely change the way in which a patent is completed. You must act now to preserve your rights before the new laws become effective.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Below are some useful government links to the newest Patent information available.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">USPTO New Effective dates for Patents: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> </span><a href="http://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/aia-effective-dates.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">http://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/aia-effective-dates.pdf</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">America Invents Act: <a href="http://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/bills-112hr1249enr.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">http://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/bills-112hr1249enr.pdf</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">USPTO Fee Schedule: <a href="http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/qs/ope/fee092611.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/qs/ope/fee092611.htm</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The USPTO is continually updating the laws and what they mean. You can find more information on their website at: <a href="http://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/index.jsp"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">http://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/index.jsp</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">As you can see from looking at some of the information provided on the links, the new Patent Laws can be extremely confusing to understand. Trying to comprehend how the laws will or do affect your patent(s) / business in the coming months may be disconcerting or frustrating. Therefore, making sure you plan accordingly is extremely important. Some of the changes include filings for both small businesses and micro entities; as well as, the way the submission of prior art is used and a new fee schedule that applies to all the changes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Should you need more assistance in understanding the new law, or to find out how the changes may affect your patent(s) / business, we are offering a seminar coming up in the next week. Come to our seminar on October 11, 2011 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Heather Farm Community Center – Club Room, 301, North San Carlos Drive at Ygnacio Valley Road. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="mailto:event@westpatentlaw.com"><span style="color: red;">Click Here to RSVP and Register</span></a> for our FREE seminar on Patent Law Changes.</span></div>West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-22929564995186494102011-09-11T16:39:00.000-07:002011-09-11T16:39:00.705-07:00Q & A from AVVO.com<!-- begin avvo answers --><iframe id="avvo_answers" width="470" height="750" scrolling="auto" src="http://www.avvo.com/attorneys/answer_syndication_list/94598-ca-stuart-west-240737.html"></iframe><noscript><a href="http://www.avvo.com/">Get my answers to legal questions at Avvo.com</a></noscript><!-- end avvo answers -->West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-29011505056705099772011-09-08T18:02:00.000-07:002011-09-08T18:02:52.427-07:00Patent "Reform" is Almost LawIn an 89 to 9 vote earlier today, Senate passed the America Invents Act which drastically changes the US patent system. The only remaining hurdle to enactment of the law is the signature of President Obama, who has indicated that he favors signing the bill into law.<br />
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The most significant impact of this bill will be the modification of our current first-to-invent system to a new first-to-file system. Under the new law, it may be a race to the patent office as the first inventor to file the patent application will be entitled to receive the patent for an invention. While this may seem harsh, it is very much in-line with the laws of almost all other countries in the world.West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-23844532418914520272011-08-18T12:25:00.000-07:002011-08-18T12:25:56.379-07:00Trademark SCAM! Have you received a letter like this for your overseas trademark application?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1CHsJPLTXH0xoRcvmYJ7qKv74crHavq_9WX_KVUh2srPnoVg2T75TER3b6EJI7uRJVCe-FiUPB81fhL-A2BDwHYBPkFWxa_qMrS39yzkhj0p0fjmHRY9e4h_PbiqyJkwwT33gB761Ag/s1600/TM+scam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1CHsJPLTXH0xoRcvmYJ7qKv74crHavq_9WX_KVUh2srPnoVg2T75TER3b6EJI7uRJVCe-FiUPB81fhL-A2BDwHYBPkFWxa_qMrS39yzkhj0p0fjmHRY9e4h_PbiqyJkwwT33gB761Ag/s320/TM+scam.JPG" width="236px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pay close attention, this document is a scam to get thousands from you with no reasonable purpose.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To start, do not pay any company that claims to “Register” your mark “internationally.” Any document in relationship to your trademark application and/or registered mark, should be strictly from the United States Patent and Trademark Office,” “The World Intellectual Property Office” or your attorney.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Second, read the fine print “By transferring the amount indicated, you approve this offer for listing in the TM-Collection- Edition 2011.” We visited their website: www.tm-collection.com and found that it is an “unofficial” trademark catalog and it is in fact a graphic design company.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxpyDnRzJPw/Tk1m1N_vwvI/AAAAAAAAADw/mHGi-LfLdqU/s1600/TM2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187px" qaa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxpyDnRzJPw/Tk1m1N_vwvI/AAAAAAAAADw/mHGi-LfLdqU/s320/TM2.bmp" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you decide to pay $1650.00 for this scam for your mark to appear in a catalog of trademarks, please keep in mind that this will not affect the Registration of your Trademark .</span></span></div><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you have any further questions, you should contact your attor</span>West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-66693248343765882122011-03-21T10:52:00.000-07:002011-03-21T10:52:23.123-07:00Excellent Presention of Trends in Intellectual Property<script src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/swfobject/2.2/swfobject.js">
</script><br />
<div id="myChannel_1300729591"><script type="text/javascript">
var flashvars = {channelid : 5950, commid: 26178, autoStart : 'false', fromdc : 'false', isViewer : 'true' }; var params = {wmode: 'transparent', allowfullscreen: 'true', allowScriptAccess: 'always'}; swfobject.embedSWF('http://www.brighttalk.com/clients/flashplatform/viewerdefault/loader.swf', 'myChannel_1300729591', '705', '660', '9.0.115.0', 'http://www.brighttalk.com/clients/flashplatform/common/swfs/expressInstall.swf', flashvars, params, {});
</script><a href="http://www.brighttalk.com/">A BrightTALK Channel</a> </div>West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-67890996854520187152010-09-16T17:15:00.000-07:002010-09-16T17:15:00.851-07:00International Patents: Do they exist?Do international patents exist? The short answer is NO! However, international Patent Applications do exist. So, if you can file and international patent application, why can't you get an international patent?<br />
<br />
The confusion stems from a vocabulary problem. A patent application filed under the terms of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is officially called an international patent application. Practitioners generally don't use the term international patent application--we generally call these applications PCT applications to avoid any confusion.<br />
<br />
A PCT application is similar, in some ways, to an international provisional patent application. Without further action, in the countries in which you want patent protection, it will become abandoned and you will never receive a patent in another country. If you want patent protection in a foreign country then, during the pendency of the PCT application, a National Stage Application must be filed--this is an application that references (claims priority to) the underlying PCT application.<br />
<br />
That national stage application will have an effective filing date based on the PCT application and ONLY the national stage application will become a patent.<br />
<br />
So, the general flow for international protection is:<br />
<br />
US application ===> PCT Application ===> National Stage Application(s) in foreign country(ies).<br />
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There are other paths, but this is one of the most common paths to seek protection overseas.West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-66347676287207693752010-09-15T14:30:00.000-07:002010-09-15T14:32:04.662-07:00LEGO® Loses Trademark Battle in EuropeLego has lost its trademark in the European Union--Well, sort of.<br />
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Today, the Independent, an British newspaper reported as a headline in its business section that Lego lost its trademark in Europe. While this is accurate, it doesn't really tell the whole story. The trademark that was recently cancelled by the tribunal was actually related to the shape of the block, not the term LEGO.<br />
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What this all means is that competitors to LEGO are now free to make LEGO-type blocks that have the same shape. However, they can't use the name LEGO.<br />
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For the full article online see: <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/lego-loses-trademark-battle-2079389.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/lego-loses-trademark-battle-2079389.html</a>West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-83490612007494818802010-09-13T11:59:00.000-07:002010-09-13T11:59:36.377-07:00In High-Class News: Jersey Shore's "The Situation" has a Trademark SituationAs reported by the Los Angeles Examiner, "the Situation" "star" of the MTV show Jersey Shore has been denied trademark registration for his name based on a clothing retailer who applied for and started selling clothes before he became "the situation." An interesting lesson about "product" marketing and being first to file.<br />
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Read more: <a href="http://www.examiner.com/jersey-shore-in-national/jersey-shore-like-snooki-the-situation-has-a-trademark-situation">http://www.examiner.com/jersey-shore-in-national/jersey-shore-like-snooki-the-situation-has-a-trademark-situation</a>West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-50803747416382131612010-08-31T16:19:00.000-07:002010-08-31T16:19:24.382-07:00Have you received a document similar to this?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiDv7Lqlv-V5GpR_tQl90ZoGt6zTeVxy_9LOxSY4KBDlOeaZS7ePnHOboFxv7eqzotIyldslulp-fLLg2ZikIapwtVp4uvbup9Eep19GNKmwPx0R8yDBOpk7EgQAC-Ok-yjFpjMASS4k/s1600/Sam2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiDv7Lqlv-V5GpR_tQl90ZoGt6zTeVxy_9LOxSY4KBDlOeaZS7ePnHOboFxv7eqzotIyldslulp-fLLg2ZikIapwtVp4uvbup9Eep19GNKmwPx0R8yDBOpk7EgQAC-Ok-yjFpjMASS4k/s320/Sam2.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This document is a <strong><u>scam!</u></strong> This type of document has two functions, to:</div><ol><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Get your money; as it is requesting a payment of $2,717.00 USD</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Transfer the ownership of your Patent to someone else, in this case the " UNIVERSITY OF WITWATERSRAND, JOHANNESBURG [ZA/ZA]</div></li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Be aware that any document that is relating to your patent application, issued patent, and/or PCT, should be strictly from the "United States Patent and Trademark Office," "The World Intellectual Property Office," or your attorney. In addition, if you still have questions about a document like this, read the fine print. For example, in this document it says "by paying the amount stated below you will benefit from our cd rom publication and you confirm having read our General Terms and Conditions. THIS IS NOT A BILL, IT IS A SOLICITATION FOR SERVICES OFFERED, YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO PAY THE AMOUNT STATED BELOW UNLESS YOU ACCEPT THIS OFFER." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Be very careful...</div>West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-67277363262939517022010-08-25T13:41:00.000-07:002010-08-25T13:41:45.154-07:00Claim Drafting In View of BilskiThe CCCBA IP section meeting was pretty well attended and thanks to one of our attendees, we received a copy of the new interim guidelines for patent examiners related to the Bilski case and, in general, the patentability of business method and software claims.<br />
<br />
I've attached a link to the document at the USPTO: <a href="http://www.uspto.gov/news/pr/2010/10_35.jsp">http://www.uspto.gov/news/pr/2010/10_35.jsp</a><br />
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You'll note that the public comment period is still open. So, if you'd like to comment on the proposed guidelines I'd recommend you do so now.West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-49516051322218872262010-08-16T19:26:00.000-07:002010-08-16T19:26:38.267-07:00What to Expect!Stuart J. West of West & Associates, A PC has published a guide of what to expect when you file a patent, trademark or copyright application. This is a simple chart with basic information on the second page that gives you a high-level overview of the basics of what to expect when you file any application in each type of intellectual property. The guide can be found here: <a href="http://www.westpatentlaw.com/documents/IntellectualProperty-WhatToExpect.pdf">http://www.westpatentlaw.com/documents/IntellectualProperty-WhatToExpect.pdf</a><br />
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You can also request your free 30-minute initial consultation directly through our website here: <a href="http://www.westpatentlaw.com/bigidea.html">http://www.westpatentlaw.com/bigidea.html</a><br />
<br />
I hope you find this helpful and I hope to talk to you soon.West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5400323285394590946.post-11547735693997920432010-08-11T15:59:00.000-07:002010-08-11T16:10:10.600-07:00General MattersThis section of our Blog is devoted to current and common questions about General Intellectual Property matters. For additional information you can always reference both the United States Patent & Trademark Office (<a href="http://www.uspto.gov/">http://www.uspto.gov/</a>), the U.S. Copyright Office (<a href="http://www.copyright.gov/">http://www.copyright.gov/</a>) and the home website for West & Associates (<a href="http://www.westpatentlaw.com/">http://www.westpatentlaw.com/</a>).West and Associateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700241374309538547noreply@blogger.com0