Heidi Nebel Meets with Biden Harris Transition Team for Department of Commerce

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Heidi S. Nebel, Managing Member of McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC (MVS), and recently elected Board of Directors Member for AUTM, is meeting with the Biden Harris transition team that oversees the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  The transition team includes a review committee for the Department of Commerce and has reached out […]

USPTO to Increase Trademark Fees in 2021

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The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has recently announced increases to certain trademark fees beginning on January 2, 2021. The fees will increase for trademark applications, post-registration maintenance filings, and certain filings with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). Below are some of the more significant and noteworthy fee increases: The fee […]

In a Galaxy Not So Far, Far Away: Millennial Falcon v. Millennium Falcon

By Sarah M.D. Luth

In October the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board issued a decision regarding the opposition proceedings against the trademark application “Millennial Falcon.” The trademark application “Millennial Falcon,” filed by Applicant Ilan Moskowitz aka Captain Contingency was directed to “entertainment services in the nature of live visual and audio performances by a live musical performance group, […]

Right to Repair: Can you fix your own things? Part 1

This post is part 1 of a set of posts relating to a person’s right to repair your things. When you buy a thing, you expect the thing to at least work as intended. The thing is usually even warranted for at least a little while to be useable as intended by the manufacturer. However, […]

UK Court Decision: Artificial Intelligence Machine Is Not An Inventor

By Kirk M. Hartung

DABUS, the artificial intelligence machine named as the sole inventor on two UK patent applications, has been denied the status of inventor by the Patent Court of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales.  In an appeal from the UK Patent Office by the applicant, Stephen Thaler, the Court ruled on September 21, […]

Monster Mash: Minor League Hockey Team Prevails Over Energy Drink Giant in Trademark Dispute

By Nicholas J. Krob

In the spirit of Halloween, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board recently issued an opinion settling an ongoing dispute between two monsters. These monsters—energy drink company Monster Energy and a minor league hockey team named the Cleveland Monsters—found themselves at odds over the use of the “Monster” trademark. In particular, Monster Energy opposed the Cleveland […]

Pioneers of Revolutionary CRISPR Gene Editing Win Chemistry’s Nobel Peace Prize

By Heidi Sease Nebel

Two scientists who pioneered the revolutionary gene-editing technology are the winners of this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Emmanuelle Charpentier, now at the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin, and Jennifer Doudna, at the University of California, Berkeley, were recognized for their work developing the CRISPR–Cas9 gene-editing tools. The technology allows […]

Obtaining Copyright Registrations for Blogs and Social Media Posts Just Got Easier

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Online content creators including bloggers and social media influencers are now able to take advantage of a new group copyright registration option for short online works such as blog entries, social media posts, and other short online works. The Copyright Office recently adopted the rule implementing this new group registration to help ease the burden […]

Heidi S. Nebel Appointed to the National Plant Variety Protection Board

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The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the appointment of Heidi S. Nebel, Intellectual Property (IP) Attorney, Managing Member, and Chair of the Biotechnology & Chemical Practice Group at McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC, to serve on the Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Board. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the PVP […]

New Grape Varieties – Raisin Awareness of Plant Patents

By Brian D. Keppler, Ph.D.

You may have noticed more options for grapes at your local grocery store in recent years. In addition to the typical red, black, and green grapes that have always been available, there are now unusual shapes and unique flavors including those grapes that that taste like cotton candy! But have you thought about how these […]