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Nanotechnology Patents: Will Small-Scale Science Pose Big Challenges for Applicants and the Patent Office?
The term “nanotechnology” generally refers to the fabrication and manipulation of materials and devices on the scale of about 1-100 nanometers, and has become one of the key technology buzzwords for 2004. The passage of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, Pub. L. No. 108-153, which authorized $3.7 billion in federal funding from 2005 through 2008 for the support of nanotechnology research and development, has fueled the fervor over nanotechnology. This substantial funding came as the scientific community and industries as diverse as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemicals were increasingly discovering that, when reduced to nanoscale size, ordinary bits of matter often manifest radically different physical properties. See Joseph Brean, The Next Big (Little) Thing, National Post (Feb. 6, 2004).
The excitement has spread from academia and R&D labs to Wall Street, where investors are jumping at the chance to get in on the action from the outset. In fact, investors have proven so fascinated with nanotechnology that in December 2003 a company called Nanometrics saw its stock price increase by 10% in one day of heavy trading, even though Nanometrics announced no news that day and, as it turns out, does not practice nanotechnology in any commonplace sense of the term. Rather, Nanometrics makes tools that measure thin films used in semiconductors, flat-panel displays, and disk drives. So why the jump in stock price? Simply, it appears, because Nanometrics happens to trade under the ticket symbol NANO. Rachel Beck, Investors Pour Big Money Into Latest Rage, Nanotech, The Grand Rapids Press, 2004 WL 58533128 (Jan. 11, 2004).
Law Firms are Reducing Redundant Real Estate by Bringing Support Services Back to the Office
A trend analysis of the benefits and challenges of bringing back administrative, word processing and billing services to law offices.
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
Bit Parts
Summary Judgment Denied Defendant in Declaratory Action by Producer of To Kill a Mockingbird Broadway Play Seeking Amateur Theatrical Rights
Risks of “Baseball Arbitration” in Resolving Real Estate Disputes
“Baseball arbitration” refers to the process used in Major League Baseball in which if an eligible player's representative and the club ownership cannot reach a compensation agreement through negotiation, each party enters a final submission and during a formal hearing each side — player and management — presents its case and then the designated panel of arbitrators chooses one of the salary bids with no other result being allowed. This method has become increasingly popular even beyond the sport of baseball.
Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel
'Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel is a continuation of the discussion of client expectations and the disconnect that often occurs. And although the outside attorneys should be pursuing how inside-counsel actually think, inside counsel should make an effort to impart this information without waiting to be asked.