Here is where I am coming from: I am regularly checking my blood values, for many years. Usually, everything is in good order, or at least the measurement values are tolerable. My latest annual check-up revealed some changes, though. My blood values deteriorated after I had knee surgery after an accident: I stumbled in an unexpected water puddle in our staircase, and I ruptured my left quadriceps tendon. The surgery went well but that accident left some traces in my general health. Not only was I literally set back to zero with my weights lifting results. I had to cancel my participation at t ..read more

Am Dienstag, den 10. April 2024 habe ich auf dem Bayern Innovativ Forum im Deutschen Patent- und Markenamt in München einen Vortrag gehalten über die Umwandlung ausländischer Patentanmeldungen in gerichtsfeste Patente für das Einheitliche Patentgericht (UPC). Einleitend habe ich die Entwicklung der Patente vom nationalen zum europäischen Patent bis hin zum Einheitspatent und dem dazugehörigen Einheitspatentgericht (UPC) dargelegt. Zu den wichtigsten Punkten des Vortrags gehören die historische Entwicklung des europäischen Patentsystems und wichtige Meilensteine wie die Gründung der Europäische ..read more

You have surely read about my last-time activities in Anti-Counterfeiting. If not then just search for “counterfeit” on my website here. Of my many articles, I want to highlight a talk I gave 5 years ago, just before Covid-19 hit (click here). In very short words, my prophecy became true. We now have means for tracking and tracing individual products worldwide, just by using your smartphone. This is what I found in my local supermarket: a bottle of Balsamico de Modena vinegar from Italy. It carries this label:  The wording “BLOCKCHAIN TRACEABILITY” caught my attention. I immediately bough ..read more

Ich hatte kürzlich die große Ehre, am Institut von Prof. Thomas Hoeren an der Universität Münster in deutscher Sprache einen Vortrag über die Rolle von KI bei der Erzeugung von gerichtsfesten UPC-Patenten halten zu dürfen, siehe hier: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/itm-muenster_ank%C3%BCndigung-vortrag-zur-rolle-generativer-activity-7174004312002457600-OCyP? Während meines Vortrags habe ich vorgeführt, wie man innerhalb von nur 20 Minuten ausgehend von einem Schaltplan eine sogenannte “Economy Class” Patentanmeldung für eine elektronische Schaltung schreiben kann, ohne sich inhaltlich mit der ..read more

In today’s world, information is both valuable and powerful. This is why Non-Disclosure Agreements (“NDAs”) are now commonly used to protect sensitive information. These agreements are often seen in business deals and in discussions about intellectual property, but never between lawyers or patent attorneys and their clients. There is a reason why lawyers and patent attorneys do not sign NDAs: when NDAs and the ethical duties of lawyers meet, it creates a complex situation that needs careful handling. The Tough Conflict Between Keeping Secrets and Professional Duties Members of the legal prof ..read more

Guest post by Kurt Sutter. You had a great idea, but you don’t want to patent it, and you don’t want others to patent it, either. Then publish it. This makes it “prior art” for any later patent applications. The publication can be used to invalidate later patents. This type of publication is called a defensive publication or a defensive disclosure. In the following, I elaborate on the concept: What are defensive publications? How and where to publish them? And when not to use them? What Are Defensive Publications? Defensive publications are public descriptions of ideas with the purpose of mak ..read more

Guest post by John Russel: In the ever-evolving landscape of software patent drafting, one aspect is coming into focus: the need to explicitly disclose and describe in the specification technical problems solved by an invention and how it offers technical solutions. As patent practitioners, we are well aware of the constant scrutiny under Section 101. In this blog post, we delve into the significance of the problem/solution approach and how it can be the key to securing valid claims via a recent PTAB case. Section 101 of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) lays the foundatio ..read more

This is the Direct Link to the Singapore Trademarks Act at Singapore Statutes Online: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/TMA1998?ProvIds=P16-#pr51- Somehow no direct link to the trade marks act anymore, we had to search via https://sso.agc.gov.sg/ myself too[contact-form-7]The post Direct Link to the Singapore Trademarks Act (2024) at Singapore Statutes Online appeared first on IP Lawyer Tools. The post Direct Link to the Singapore Trademarks Act (2024) at Singapore Statutes Online appeared first on IP Lawyer Tools ..read more

Guest post by Stephen Key. You love building prototypes? So do I! Prototypes serve as early samples or models of your product idea that can be used to test a concept. However, if you’re an inventor with a plethora of ideas, crafting a prototype for each one is simply impractical. Imagine being able to showcase your product to potential licensees without ever having to produce a physical prototype. That’s the power of 3D computer-generated models. They are affordable, quick to produce, and look SO realistic. And here’s the best part, you can save time and money by using this tool to test market ..read more

Alarmed by a job application and a corresponding Facebook post (click here), I have recommended reading two books to those who are interested in learning about how governments or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) work: “Bureaucracy” (Ludwig v. Mises, 1944, free download here: https://mises.org/library/bureaucracy) “Parkinson’s Law and other Studies in Administration” (C. Northcote Parkinson, Raffles Professor of History, University of Malaya, 1957, click here) “Bureaucracy” “Bureaucracy” by Ludwig von Mises is a 130-page book. It explains the differences between profit man ..read more