From the Gridiron to the Courtroom: Kelce and Mahomes Face Trademark Dispute By Andrew J. Morgan A federal complaint has been filed against Kansas City Chiefs superstars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, and their steakhouse restaurant, “1587 Prime”, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The Complaint (Case No. 1:26-CV-01337), which was filed by 1587 Sneakers, Inc. (“1587 Sneakers”), alleges three causes of action: 1) […] Continue Reading →
From Cresco to the World: Norman Borlaug’s Legacy and the Global Impact of Plant Breeders’ Rights By Heidi Sease Nebel Norman Borlaug grew up in Cresco, Iowa, a small farm town, like so many in my home state. Iowa’s 30-36 million acres of farmland sit atop rich glacial soils, and are combined with ideal rainfall and a temperate climate, all of which have made Iowa one of the national Agricultural leaders, producing abundant crops with no […] Continue Reading →
Denmark Leads Battle Against AI Deepfakes By Kirk M. Hartung (Jointly authored by Kirk Hartung, an IP attorney in the U.S., and Danish attorneys Niels Skyttedal Dahl-Nielsen and Sille Rahbæk Grostøl) Denmark’s parliament has recently proposed new legislation, the first of its kind in Europe, which will give individuals rights to their own face, body, and voice in connection with the use of AI. In […] Continue Reading →
Updates on Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court Utilization in Europe – Part 1 By Jill N. Link, Pharm.D. If you have sought international patent protection in the last two years, you have likely received information about Unitary Patents and the Unified Patent Court in Europe. If not, let me introduce you to the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court. The Unitary Patent became an option for validations of a European patent upon […] Continue Reading →
Legislative Attempts to Limit Federal Court Injunctions By Kirk M. Hartung Iowa’s Chuck Grassley, the longest sitting Senator in Congress (44 years) and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, commented on recent federal court injunctions relating to Presidential executive orders. In part, Grassley states that there is a “bipartisan problem of universal injunctions.” He further asserted that “in most cases, an injunction should only be against […] Continue Reading →
Does Elon Musk Have Access To Your Patent Application? By Heidi Sease Nebel Under 37 CFR § 1.14 United States Patent applications are preserved in confidence until published, which, by statue is 18 months from the priority date. All of our most sensitive data, new inventions and latest developments in artificial intelligence, engineering, healthcare and technology, safely housed within the USPTO without public access until access is granted […] Continue Reading →
How a Federal Hiring Freeze Could Undermine the U.S. Patent System By Kirk M. Hartung Our U.S. Constitution, Article I Section 8, Clause 8, gives Congress the power to “promote the progress of science and the useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.” This is known as the Patent Clause of the Constitution. The executive order to […] Continue Reading →
A Letter Commemorating MVS’s 100th Anniversary End of Year By Luke T. Mohrhauser As we approach the end of 2024, we hope you have had a successful and fulfilling year. I cannot help but think of what a milestone McKee, Voorhees & Sease had this year making it to our 100th anniversary, an achievement less than 1% of all law firms accomplish. We have exhibited snapshots of our […] Continue Reading →
USPTO Issues Patent Fee Changes for 2025 By Andrew J. Morgan In its final rule issued on November 20, 2024, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued changes to set or increase certain patent fees. The revised fees will take effect on January 19, 2025. There will not be a new fee for After Final Consideration Pilot 2.0 requests as was proposed, nor will […] Continue Reading →
Increased Fees and Other Changes in USPTO Trademark Filings By Christine Lebron-Dykeman On November 18, 2024, the USPTO issued a final rule to increase certain trademark filing fees. The fees will take effect January 18, 2025. While the per Class fee for filing a standard electronic trademark application has not changed and is still $350 per Class, the USPTO has eliminated the distinction between TEAS Standard and […] Continue Reading →