- Jeffrey Stone, Patent Attorney, Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. IP protection for product designs is typically found in a combination of one or more of the following protective mechanisms: 1. Contracts which are typically used with employees and 3rd parties to prevent loss of novelty as well as provide notice of ownership. Contractual protections such… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Idea Protection
Subscribe to Idea Protection RSS FeedDesign Patent Flexes Muscles
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Idea Protection, Infringement, Law Suits, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Patents, Product Configurations, Technology, USPTO- Jeffrey Stone and Brett Klein, Patent Attorneys, Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. The design patent is perceived by many designers and patent attorneys as being a relatively weak and impotent patent protection mechanism as compared with the better-respected utility patent. It is typically thought that design patents are only useful in protecting against exact copies…. Continue Reading
Intellectual Property and the Next President
Posted in Articles, Branding, Copyrights, Idea Protection, International, Marketing, Patents, TrademarksAfter months of debates, worn out talking points, and a seemingly endless barrage of ads, election day is finally here! I’m hoping this post serves as a reminder to get out and vote today. Campaigns these days are not without their intellectual property feats and blunders. There are the buttons; the slogans – purposeful and… Continue Reading
Tebowing Trademark: Passion or Profit?
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, Idea Protection, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Sight, Trademarks—John Reinan, Senior Director at Fast Horse, a Minneapolis marketing agency Tim Tebow was a great college quarterback. But now that he’s in the NFL, he’s joined the ranks of celebrities who are famous mainly for being famous. Example A: “Tebowing,” his signature move. After making a play, the devout Christian often drops to one… Continue Reading
Thinking About Where to Think . . . .
Posted in Idea ProtectionOur friend Jorg over at the Idea Peepshow wrote earlier this week about the importance of taking the time to think — how true. It’s good to know that Jorg’s 1949 Ford tractor serves a greater purpose than simply helping him mow the grass at his country orchard; it provides a suitable place/vehicle to Just Think. And,… Continue Reading
Pick A Fight With A Warlock, Trademark A Sheen-ism
Posted in Idea Protection–Susan Perera, Attorney Media spectacle, train wreck, or marketing bliss, it’s up to you, but you can’t escape the news about Charlie Sheen’s rambling webcasts, or the overnight success of his Sheen-isms. If you haven’t had your fill, feel free to take a moment at this website dedicated to sharing some of Sheen’s memorable statements. Last… Continue Reading
Finding Your Place for Making Big Ideas
Posted in Idea ProtectionWatching the film Inception this past weekend (for the second time), got me thinking about the origin of big ideas. I’m not talking about the kind of "big ideas" that Michael Scott and Kevin Malone of "The Office" are known for: Michael Scott: That’s what the United States was built on, big ideas, blue jeans, the Grand Canyon…. Continue Reading
Iron-clad Liability Protection for Idea Submissions?
Posted in Copyrights, Guest Bloggers, Idea Protection, Infringement, Television—Joy Newborg, Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. Several bloggers and commentators have been critical of the Travel Channel about its website soliciting people to submit their ideas for what could possibly become a new hit show. As pitching television show ideas has become a complex, involved and costly process, should one really blame them for trying… Continue Reading
Is Universal Regretting Disturbia?
Posted in Contracts, Copyrights, Guest Bloggers, Idea Protection, Infringement, Law Suits—Joy Newborg, Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. Is the 2007 film Disturbia a modern remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window? Even if it is, how many times have you seen a movie and said afterwards that it reminded you of being exactly like the film… Disturbia is a film about a teenager who, while under house… Continue Reading
Life-Line to the Lifeblood
Posted in Agreements, Copyrights, Guest Bloggers, Idea Protection, Law Suits—Joy Newborg, Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. New ideas are the lifeblood of Hollywood and television, as executives are scrounging to find the next wildly popular Avatar or “Friends.” However, there is a little evil known around the industry as idea theft, where a person believes that their idea has been used but they were not… Continue Reading
Seth Godin on Trademark?
Posted in Branding, Dilution, Famous Marks, Idea Protection, Infringement, Law Suits, Marketing, Search Engines, TrademarksSeth Godin has an amazing knack for creating and spreading ideas that matter, mostly really good ones, by the way. I always look forward to his daily riffs and I have been known to spread some of his important ideas too when they overlap with things I happen to care a lot about. When it comes to Mr…. Continue Reading
A Parody Is Forever?
Posted in Advertising, Idea Protection, Marketing, TelevisionRecently, a new Verizon commercial caught my eye. Perhaps you’ve seen it: This immediately reminded me of a circa 1993 (has it really been that long?) De Beers commercial (seen here). Apparently, this is one of at least two Verizon commercials intended to "spoof" some of the classic, well-known commercials from our past. My immediate reaction, to these… Continue Reading
A Mother of an Opportunity
Posted in Advertising, Guest Bloggers, Idea Protection, MarketingWas your mom a multiple serial monogamist? Then bring back those memories of daddy-for-a-day with “Gentlemen Callers,” a new scented candle featuring “a sensual orgy of men’s colognes.” Sounds like an ad from The Onion, but it’s not. You can buy “Gentlemen Callers” and several other candles from Mother, a New York company that also… Continue Reading
Duets Blog Authors
Steve Baird
Just so you know, I'm all about brands and the law, both professionally and personally. I regularly annoy family and friends in retail stores by focusing on product labels—not to buy the product, but to read the fine print and ask, "Who owns these brands" and "Did they really register those marks?" More...
Brent Lorentz
Although I wish I could say my path to the law was the result of a lifelong dream or calling, it was more the result mere curiosity and an affinity for leather-bound books. More...
Tiffany Blofield
Although my initial career path was to be one of the Supremes (not the musically talented ones with platform shoes and sequins, but rather, the nine wearing sensible shoes and pressed black robes in DC), I will likely stay in Minnesota as I have never lived anywhere else. More...
Brad Walz
My law career started on the ice…as a defensive hockey player (we’re not talking professionally…and if I were, I probably wouldn’t have gotten into law). More...
Derek Allen
In hindsight, writing about creativity and the law may have always been in the cards for me. I began training for a career in litigation at an early age by finding ways to disagree with pretty much anyone about pretty much anything. In my longest-running “case,” I argued with my middle school math teacher, Mrs. Jabs, for the better part of four years over whether, even if I got the right answer, I had to show my work to get full credit. More...
Martha Engel
Although my interest in gadgetry and my aptitude for math eventually led me to become an engineer, my ad executive father and artistically gifted mother fostered an appreciation for the creative from a young age. More...
Anjali Shankar
When I was in elementary and middle school, I loved writing short stories. Creativity and imagination seem to come naturally to people when they are young. More...
Timothy Sitzmann
I have always considered myself to be a creative person. Full disclosure: I'm not claiming that I've created anything good, merely that I have created things that exist.More...