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 →Yesterday, Global Tetrahedron, the corporation that owns the satirical news website The Onion, was the winning bidder for Alex Jones’ Infowars at a Chapter 7 bankruptcy auction. Jones and Infowars owner Free Speech Systems both filed for bankruptcy in 2022 after eight families impacted by the Sandy Hook shooting won a $1.4 billion defamation award […]
Continue Reading →In the midst of McKee Voorhees and Sease’s 100th year anniversary and the celebration of its legacy to the Des Moines, Iowa, community, it feels fitting to celebrate the firm’s history with another ever-present Iowa organization: The World Food Prize. The World Food Prize Foundation was sponsored and formed by businessman and philanthropist John Ruan, […]
Continue Reading →You’ve got an invention—now what? Protecting your work may be the next step, but perhaps you’re unfamiliar with the patent system, don’t know any patent attorneys, or don’t really want to reach out for fear of incurring attorney’s fees. Below I provide two free resources for checking to see if it is worth your time […]
Continue Reading →The USPTO has concluded seeking comments from the public on negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) regarding a proposed Design Law Treaty (DLT). A diplomatic conference to finalize the treaty will soon be conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 11-22, 2024. The comments were intended to inform U.S. government participation in the diplomatic […]
Continue Reading →In the crowded coffee shop and roastery industry, establishing a unique brand identity is essential to standing out among competitors. While protecting “central” intellectual property (IP) like brand names, logos, and domain names is absolutely critical, strategically identified and maintained “secondary” intellectual property provides a key avenue through which to establish a strong brand identity […]
Continue Reading →I had the privilege of being involved in the seminal U.S. Supreme Court case that held that utility patents are properly available for plant varieties, J.E.M. Ag Supply, Inc., v. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., 534 U.S. 124 (2001). My father, Ed Sease, a named partner of our firm and a career intellectual property (IP) litigator, […]
Continue Reading →While there are many significant inventions by people with Iowa roots, there are at least two Iowans whose inventions and discoveries led to the prestigious Nobel Prize. These inventors and their work may not be well known to the general public, but their work clearly was special. Robert A. Millikan was born in 1868 in […]
Continue Reading →As McKee, Voorhees & Sease celebrates its 100th anniversary this year (2024), it is good to look back on the technological developments and advances that have occurred. There is no better place to look than through patent filings and grants. One particular area that we in the Midwest are well versed in is agriculture. Let’s […]
Continue Reading →The bipartisan Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 which transferred ownership of patents arising from US government funded research to universities has yielded a remarkable return on investment. In its 44 years of existence, Bayh-Dole has led to over $1.3 trillion in U.S. economic growth and over 4.2 million jobs. Products ranging from pharmaceuticals Allegra, Lyrica, and […]
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