Licensing Title Agents
Whatever happened to the title agents licensing bill? At one point, it 'had to happen.' Innumerable meetings were held. Forests were felled to provide the paper to print and distribute various drafts of proposed bills. Lincolnesque letters and articles were written and published. E-mails clogged up thousands of mailboxes. And now silence. There may very well be a bill on the Governor's desk in the near future. This article represents an attempt to explain why the agent-licensing bill is not there yet. The opinions expressed are the author's own, have no official sanctions and do not advocate any particular version of the bill.
IP News
Highlights of the latest intellectual property news from around the country.
Use It or Lose It: Can Residual Goodwill Avert Abandonment?
The notorious legal battle over the right to use the MUSTANG RANCH trademark for legal brothel services illustrates the 'use it or lose it' adage as applied to trademark rights and the difficulty of establishing an excuse for nonuse. <i>Burgess v. Gilman</i>, 78 U.S.P.Q.2d 1773 (D. Nev. 2006). Because U.S. law does not permit the warehousing of trademarks, the owner of a trademark typically must use the mark in commerce or lose the ability to prevent others from using it. For this reason, '8 of the Lanham Act requires trademark owners to file a declaration of use between the fifth and sixth year after registration and with renewals. 15 U.S.C. '1058.
Features
Patent Injunctions: Quo Vadis ' What Is the Expectation of a Patentee After eBay?
Whither goest thou?' Or, in plain English: Where are you going? That is the question that must be asked of the courts in the wake of the Supreme Court's recent decision in <i>eBay, Inc., v. MercExchange, LLC</i>, 126 S. Ct 1837 (2006), in which the Court reversed the long-standing practice in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (the 'Federal Circuit') of granting permanent injunctions in patent cases absent a persuasive reason for not doing so.
Features
Undocumented Youth
Like other minors, illegal immigrant children and youth end up in Family Court through abuse, neglect, guardianship or delinquency cases. Some come to the United States on their own to escape abusive home environments; some are kicked out of their homes and illegally sent to the United States by parents who refuse to care for them anymore; and some are brought to the United States illegally by their parents and then abused, neglected, or abandoned once the family is here.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the RoughThere 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.Read More ›
- The Federal Circuit Clarifies Who Can Be an Expert In Patent CasesIn September 2024, the Federal Circuit clarified the necessary qualifications for a technical expert to testify in a patent lawsuit, holding that while an expert must possess ordinary skill in the art, they need not have possessed such skill "at the time of the alleged invention."Read More ›
- The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year LaterThe DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.Read More ›
- Using Staff Counsel to Defend InsuredsThe Texas Supreme Court recently declared that insurance companies do not commit the unauthorized practice of law when they use lawyers they employ to provide a defense to their insureds.Read More ›
- The Power of Your Inner Circle: Turning Friends and Social Contacts Into Business AlliesPractical strategies to explore doing business with friends and social contacts in a way that respects relationships and maximizes opportunities.Read More ›