Design Patents: Your Secret Weapon in Today’s Copycat Economy
FishBits: Mini Article Volume 25, Issue 17
In an era where product knockoffs surface faster than ever, smart businesses have discovered an underutilized but powerful form of intellectual property protection: design patents.
Copyright Certificates Are Going Out… Naked!
Fish Tank: Newsletter Volume 25, Issue 18
If you recently got a copyright registration certificate in the mail and noticed it’s missing something kind of important—like a signature—you’re not imagining things.
L.A.B. Golf Acquired, Will it Be a One-Major Wonder, or Future Golf No. 1?
FishBits: Mini Article Volume 25, Issue 16
L.A.B. Golf’s acquisition by L Catterton, a private equity group, is one of the largest deals involving a putter company in recent golf history. What does this mean for the future of the company?
Tomorrow Never Dies, but 007’s Trademarks in Europe Might
Fish Tank: Newsletter Volume 25, Issue 17
Early this year, an Austrian property developer filed claims that several of the trademarks connected to the James Bond franchise have not been used as required to maintain trademark protections in these jurisdictions.
The Met Gala’s IP Mystique: What’s Protected, What’s Not, and What Should Be
FishBits: Mini Article Volume 25, Issue 15
For the designers behind the original, the performance often ends at the red carpet. So where’s the legal protection? Under current U.S. intellectual property law, their options for protection are limited and, in many cases, untested in court.
Frankenstein Rejections: Obvious(ness) Problems for Patentability
Fish Tank: Newsletter Volume 25, Issue 16
Under 35 U.S.C. §103, a claimed invention is unpatentable if the differences between it and the prior art would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art (“POSITA”) at the time the invention was made.
Zoom-Bloom: Mazda Patent Makes Colors Pop
FishBits: Mini Article Volume 25, Issue 14
Mazda’s approach to design is as much about light as it is about lines. The interplay of highlights and shadows on the CX-90’s form is magnified by this paint system, which includes a lustrous metallic base, a richly pigmented translucent red layer, and a glossy clear coat. The result is a color that seems to move even when the car is standing still. It’s not just eye-catching—it’s engineered beauty.
Antibody Patents: Details Under the Microscope
Fish Tank: Newsletter Volume 25, Issue 15
Antibodies are powerful tools in modern medicine, but securing patents for them has become increasingly complex. Following the Amgen v. Sanofi decision, companies must now provide much more detailed data to prove that their antibody inventions are fully “enabled,” making it harder to claim broad protections. While this raises the bar for innovation, it also sparks debate: does it safeguard public interest or hinder progress?
Fashionably Protected – Fashion Wears Longer with IP Rights
FishBits: Mini Article Volume 25, Issue 13
In the fast-paced world of fashion, IP Rights are often overlooked—yet they can be a game changer. From trademarks that protect brand identity to copyrights for original prints, IP Rights offer critical tools for protecting both creativity and market value.
Protecting AI-Assisted Inventions
Fish Tank: Newsletter Volume 25, Issue 14
The US Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) has now issued guidance explaining that AI-assisted inventions are not categorically unpatentable, embracing the use of AI in innovation, but that only humans can be inventors and must make a significant contribution to the invention.