Jury Says Apple Infringed 2012 Patent, Owes $308 Million In Damages – And What This Means For You A federal court jury on Friday, March 19, 2021, found that Apple infringed a digital media patent owned by Texas company Personalized Media Communications and must pay $308 million in damages. The case is Personalized Media Communications, LLC Apple, Inc., Civil Action No 2:15-CV-1366-JRG (Eastern District of Read More

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday delivered the knockout blow for Google, putting an end to the decade-long fight over Google’s copying of Oracle’s Java API, part of the Java SE platform.  This ruling is important because 1) It leaves in place a 2014 ruling that the high-level code, structure, sequence and organization of an API are copyrightable subject matter; but also 2) permits software developers to copy this Read More

A federal judge on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, found that design firm Villency Design Group must pay exercise company Peloton $5.5 million in legal fees and expenses it incurred defending itself in a patent infringement suit asserting an invalid patent. The case is VR Optics LLC v. Peloton Interactive Inc./ Peloton Interactive Inc. v. Villency Design Group LLC, Civil Action No 16-CV-6392 (JPO) (Southern District of New Read More

COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARK QUICK STUDY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR YOUR STARTUP. What is the difference between the Trademark Symbol ™ and © – Copyright Symbol? What is the difference between trademark and copyright? Believe it or not, there is a difference between a trademark and a copyright. If you have a unique business, service or startup, you need to know the difference between a trademark and copyright. Read More

Guest Post by attorney Kevin Handy, Esq., founder of SnapDivorce® When I embarked on starting my most recent business, SnapDivorce® LLC, which provides divorce mediation services,[www.snapdivorce.com] one of the first things I did was turn to IP Works to research the availability of the name “SnapDivorce” and secure exclusive rights to it nationwide. I did this before making any other significant investment in the Read More

Question of the Day:  What is the difference between and LLC and a dba? Short Answer: An LLC protects your personal assets. A dba does not. Explanation:  LLC stands for LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. If an LLC gets sued and loses, the person suing (the plaintiff) can only collect from the assets of the LLC, they cannot collect from the owner’s personal assets. Here’s an example: Jane Fisherman opens Read More

Clients often ask us: What is involved in registering a trademark? We are happy to define and simplify the process for you – there are four basic steps: 1. Trademark Clearance What is a trademark clearance? This is a critical first step in the registration process where a trained trademark professional researches and analyzes your proposed trademark to determine how available the mark is for use and registration. Read More

Procurement of your patents, trademarks and copyrights is an investment in growing your company’s assets. Thinking about intellectual property procurement including patents, trademarks and copyrights as an expense leads to bad decisions with irreversible negative consequences. Good CFOs and CEOs often look for ways to trim expenses without harming the company. When buying janitorial services, materials or office Read More