Features

Fishing for Joint Patent Ownership Under 'BASF v. CSIRO'
A recent Federal Circuit opinion sheds light on the process for settling co-ownership disputes pursuant to an underlying agreement. Although the precedential opinion does not change the rules of contract interpretation, it suggests considerations when drafting ownership agreements.
Features

Second Circuit Interprets 'Executed By the Author' In Copyright Act's §203 Grant Termination Provision
Composers of pre-1978 works often assigned both the initial and renewal copyright terms in their works when signing songwriter agreements with music publishers. But what happens when a grant of the copyright renewal term of a pre-1978 work has been made post-1977?
Features

Trademark Oppositions and Coexistence Agreements
There are frequent battles over trademark rights in the entertainment industry. Trademark publication can be an anxious part of the federal application process, with fear of aggressive opposition and costly proceedings looming in the background. But many trademark oppositions, whether they are only threatened or actually filed, afford the applicant a discussion with an opposer that can ultimately be helpful in nonobvious ways.
Features

'Executed By the Author' In Copyright Act's §203 Grant Termination Provision Interpreted By Second Circuit
Composers of pre-1978 works often assigned both the initial and renewal copyright terms in their works when signing songwriter agreements with music publishers. But what happens when a grant of the copyright renewal term of a pre-1978 work has been made post-1977?
Features

Commentary: What the Music Industry Can Learn from Cable When It Comes to ISPs and Infringement
In the last two decades, the music industry and, more specifically, songwriters, producers and recording artists have been losing the value of their efforts to online piracy. Perhaps a business-to-business solution can be found between the music industry and cable providers.
Columns & Departments
IP News
Federal Circuit: Agreement Between Patent Owner and Third Party Was Not Insulated from The On-Sale Bar
Features

E-Commerce Sellers Should Be Preemptive to Mitigate Effects of Account Suspensions for IP Infringement
E-commerce channel providers' suspension of sellers' accounts associated with alleged intellectual property infringement is fast, and suspension remediation is time-consuming and costly. Consequently, e-commerce sellers should contemplate pre-emptive legal and business arrangements to ameliorate potential e-commerce account suspensions consequences.
Features

Choosing Between Trade Secret and Patent Protection: A Primer for Businesses
When deciding whether to apply for patent protection on an innovation or whether to keep the innovation confidential as a company trade secret, there are many considerations that a business must take into account stemming from the different characteristics of each.
Features

Protecting Clients In the Virtual World
The "metaverse" in conjunction with Web 3.0 can be thought of as an immersive virtual reality world or worlds, where users can play games, socialize,…
Features

Trademark Coexistence May Become a Necessity As Market for Trademarks Grows
Trademark publication can be an anxious part of the application process, with fear of aggressive opposition and costly proceedings looming in the background. But many oppositions, whether they are only threatened or actually filed, afford the applicant a discussion with the opposer that can ultimately be helpful in nonobvious ways.
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