Patent Fees for Small and Micro Entities Reduced By Cassie J. Edgar Small and micro businesses can now take advantage of lower patent fees thanks to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 and the Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022. These new laws were recently signed into law by President Biden and aim to support small and micro entities by increasing small entity discounts from 50% to 60% […] Continue Reading →
Thank You for a Great Year By As we close out 2022 and look forward to 2023, we would like to share some of the highlights of MVS over the past year. With video becoming a more important part of business communications, MVS embarked on the creation and completion of several videos that included a firm overview, attorney spotlight videos for Luke […] Continue Reading →
Patent Owners Beware of Prior Adjudication Involving Related Patents By Joseph M. Hallman When patent claims are construed and interpreted in an adjudicative proceeding, such as patent infringement litigation in federal court or in an adjudicative proceeding before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”), a preclusive effect can arise which can affect the validity of claims of related patents. For example, on December 8, 2022, in Google […] Continue Reading →
Heir to the Throne: Mariah Carey Becomes “Christmas Princess,” Loses Fantasy of Christmas “Queen” By Sarah M.D. Luth The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has determined that Mariah Carey is officially not the Queen of Christmas. Recently, Carey’s trademark application for “Queen of Christmas” along with the related applications for “QOC” (short for Queen of Christmas) and “Princess Christmas” were rejected by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the USPTO. The […] Continue Reading →
Celebrating Technology Transfer Professionals Day By Today we celebrate Technology Transfer Professionals Day that honors those individuals that work to help universities and research institutions advance their critical discoveries to a final product or service. The day was chosen since it was the anniversary of the Bayh-Dole Act, that was enacted on December 12, 1980, and was instrumental in encouraging universities […] Continue Reading →
Heidi S. Nebel Named Vice Chair of the USPTO Patent Public Advisory Committee By McKee, Voorhees & Sease is very excited to announce that Heidi S. Nebel, Managing Partner and Chair of the MVS Chemical and Biotechnology Practice Group, has been named Vice Chair of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC). The PPAC was created by statute in the American Inventors Protection […] Continue Reading →
Worldwide Plant Variety Application Filings Reached Record Highs in 2021 By Melissa M. Mitchell Despite a global economic downturn and the COVID-19 pandemic, a report recently published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reveals there was sustained growth in worldwide IP filings in 2021. From 2020, patent filings grew by 3.6%, trademark filings grew by 5.5%, and plant variety applications grew by a staggering 12%. This double digit […] Continue Reading →
Public Service Announcement — USPTO Implements New Deadlines to Respond to Office Actions for Trademark Applications and Registrations By Gregory Lars Gunnerson As of Saturday, December 3, 2022, trademark applicants will have three months (with a possible three-month extension) to respond to an Office action issued during the examination of a trademark application at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) instead of the current six months. A similar timeline for responding is already employed by […] Continue Reading →
The Supreme Court Agrees to Review Jack Daniels Dog Toy Case By Ashley E. Holland November 21st, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a trademark dispute between Jack Daniel’s and the dog toy company VIP Products. VIP Products creates a dog toy line called “Silly Squeakers” which are squeaking toys that look like the Jack Daniel’s square-shaped bottle of Old No. 7 Whiskey but replace the Jack Daniel’s wording. VIP […] Continue Reading →
Trademarks and the First Amendment: Bars v. TV Shows By Luke T. Mohrhauser A recent case out of the 11th Circuit (covering AL, GA, and FL) addressed the interplay between federal trademark laws and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, but in a fun setting (trust me, IP law is fun). On the one side is the trademark owner for FLORA-BAMA trademarks and properties (MGFB). For those […] Continue Reading →