Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%
Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.
Pros and Cons of Drafting Patent Applications in India
A call center in New Delhi, India, fields questions from a utility customer in a small town in Pennsylvania. An accounting firm in Mumbai, India, provides back-office services for a growing Texas company. An IT company in Perumbavoor, India, provides Internet support to a manufacturer of amplifiers in Washington state.
With debate over outsourcing growing, should a tech company's general counsel think about enlisting engineers in India to draft patent applications? The availability of highly trained technical personnel who possess a generally excellent level of fluency in English, combined with a significant cost differential vis-a-vis patent-drafting costs in the United States, make outsourcing to India quite attractive.
That cost differential will only widen, because President Bush signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005 on Dec. 8, 2004. It significantly increased the fees charged by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) for filing, searching and examining patent applications. The bill also increased the maintenance fees required to keep a patent in force after issuance. It's not unusual for GCs to pay attorneys' fees of $10,000 or more for drafting a patent application and $2000 for responding to an office action from the USPTO.
The Article 8 Opt In
The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws
This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.
Warehouse Liability: Know Before You Stow!
As consumers continue to shift purchasing and consumption habits in the aftermath of the pandemic, manufacturers are increasingly reliant on third-party logistics and warehousing to ensure their products timely reach the market.
Legal Possession: What Does It Mean?
Possession of real property is a matter of physical fact. Having the right or legal entitlement to possession is not "possession," possession is "the fact of having or holding property in one's power." That power means having physical dominion and control over the property.
Removing Restrictive Covenants In New York
In Rockwell v. Despart, the New York Supreme Court, Third Department, recently revisited a recurring question: When may a landowner seek judicial removal of a covenant restricting use of her land?