By: Davis|Kuelthau's Intellectual Property Team Google updated its Google Play Developer Policy Center policies on March 1, 2017, and the updates went into effect on March 15, 2017. These updates included requirements for developers to post privacy policies both on the Play Store listing and within the app. According to Google, app developers...
By Joseph S. Heino One of its most obvious, but often overlooked, assets that a business has is the very name that the business uses to hold itself out to the public. That name, including the names of various products and services it may market, are valuable assets of that business and need to be treated as such. Most business owners do not...
By: Davis|Kuelthau's Intellectual Property Team The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently turned to the social media presence and marketing of a DJ when evaluating the DJ’s claims of trademark infringement and dilution. In Kibler v. Hall, et al (6th Cir. Dec. 13, 2016), the court affirmed summary judgment for Robert Hall, a rapper performing...
By James E. Lowe, Jr. On January 12, 2017, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) let expire one of its pilot program initiatives meant to improve the patent application process at the USPTO. Under the Post-Prosecution Pilot Program (P3), after an application had been refused, the applicant was given an opportunity to make their...
By Joseph S. Heino Today marks a day of success for inventors across the United States. From recipes and formulas to processes and design, U.S. businesses now have a new method of defense in the quest to safeguard their valuable trade secrets from would-be thieves and rogue employees. President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016...
By Joseph S. Heino A rash of unsolicited patent and trademark related mailings to clients has prompted this news alert. Specifically, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of mailings to clients with pending patent or trademark application matters. The sources of the mailings are companies that hold themselves out as governmental...
By Joseph S. Heino Joseph Heino of Davis & Kuelthau’s corporate, and intellectual property teams authored an article, Cybercrime – Costly Threats to Your Intellectual Property, for New North B2B's February 2016 publication. To read the article, please click here.
By Joseph S. Heino For most people, the terms “cybersecurity” and “cybercrime” conjure up visions of futuristic and rather ill-defined or abstract activities. But the trending attacks on businesses — of all sizes — are neither futuristic nor abstract. They are clear and present dangers to your intellectual property. First, definitions –...
The Supreme Court announced that it accepted Halo Electronics, Inc. v. Pulse Electronics, Inc., No. 14-1513 and Stryker Corp. v. Zimmer, Inc., No. 14-1520, two cases that could lower the bar for awarding enhanced damages to patent owners upon a finding of infringement. Either way, the court’s decision will have a significant impact in determining...
The IRS recently concluded that certain domain names have to be capitalized as intangible assets and amortized over a 15-year period under Section 197 of the Internal Revenue Code. This means that a business that acquires qualifying internet domain names will be able to realize financial benefits by recapturing 100% of the purchase price through...
