Will non-competes be a thing of the past?

By Jill N. Link, Pharm.D.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is starting 2023 off with a bang by publishing a Notice of Proposed Rule-making (available here) that propose a Non-Compete Clause Rule. The topic is causing a buzz in the employment law sector. It should also be closely monitored through the intellectual property law sector.  Many – including myself […]

Who Owns the Copyright in A Tattoo?

By

17 U.S.C § 201. Ownership of a Copyright. (a) Initial Ownership. — Copyright in a work protected under this title vests initially in the author or authors of the work. The authors of a joint work are coowners of copyright in the work. The ownership of the copyright in a tattoo has long been the […]

US Copyright Office Issues Best Practices to Reduce Unclaimed Royalties

By Julie L. Spieker

As directed by the Music Modernization Act (“MMA”), on Thursday, July 8, 2021, the US Copyright Office (the “Office”) released a public report to recommend best practices for the Mechanical Licensing Collective (“MLC”) to effectively match copyright owners with unclaimed royalties for musical works, and ultimately reduce the incidence of unclaimed royalties. Unclaimed royalties are […]

COVID-19 VACCINE IP WAIVERS AND PLATFORM PATENTS

By Charles P. Romano, Ph.D.

The recent announcement by US Trade Representative Katherine Tai that the “US supports the waiver of IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help end the pandemic” has led to concern over the potential scope and effect of such waivers. Forced disclosure of trade secrets related to vaccine manufacturing processes has generated the most concern since […]

Right to Repair: Infringement or Exhaustion Part 3

This post is part 3 of a series of posts relating to a person’s right to repair their purchased products. Parts 1 and discussed the general background and several policy arguments surrounding both sides of this issue and the main patent laws and legal doctrine related to the right to repair. This part will discuss […]

NASA’s Technology Transfer Process

By Gregory Lars Gunnerson

From July 28 – July 31, 2019, I had the pleasure of attending the Association of Technology Managers (AUTM) 2019 Central Region Meeting. AUTM is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing research to life by supporting and enhancing the global, academic technology transfer profession through education, professional development, partnering and advocacy. AUTM’s attendance has been […]

Buying the Cow: Why Branding is Commonly Concealed in TV Shows and Movies

By Nicholas J. Krob

 Have you ever been watching a TV show and noticed that certain logos on various products were covered with tape or otherwise concealed? Do you know why that is? If you don’t, you’re not alone.  In a controversial video posted last month by guitar giant Gibson, the company issued a warning stating that it was […]

USPTO To Require U.S. Licensed Attorney for Trademarks

By Luke T. Mohrhauser

On July 2, 2019, the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) released a rule related to foreign-domiciled trademark applicants, registrants, and parties to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) proceedings. The rule, which takes effect on August 3, 2019, states that all foreign-domiciled parties must be represented at the USPTO by an attorney who […]

Drafting the Fine Print: Every Word is Significant in a License Agreement

By Blog Staff

Licensing agreements can be both complex and extensive, however, diligence must be exercised in ensuring that the scope of rights to be transferred are clearly defined. The failure to do so may result in disputes over the interpretation of licensing agreements, where each word and phrase may be painstakingly scrutinized in court. Such disputes arose […]

IP License Audits – Iowa LES Chapter Tackles the Issues

By Jill N. Link, Pharm.D.

The Licensing Executive Society (LES) Iowa Chapter met on Monday April 29th in Coralville, Iowa, and took a deep dive into issues with auditing Intellectual Property (IP) license agreements. Other issues of IP valuation were also discussed by two accounting experts from Sikich. The discussions brought to the forefront issues commonly associated with IP license […]