TraskBritt Intellectual Property Law Firm Blog

USPTO Begins Implementing TM Modernization Act

USPTO regulations implementing two new procedures for challenging registered marks, as well as other provisions of the Trademark Modernization Act (TMA), went into effect on December 18, 2021. Generally, the new procedures enable streamlined challenges to registrations for non-use within…

Non-Compete Enforcement in Utah: What You Need to Know

The specifics of non-compete enforcement law in Utah has changed three times in the past five years. If you are having trouble keeping up with the law, this article may help you navigate those changes and what they might mean…

Yu and the Case of Shifting Tests for Patents

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the invalidation of Yu et al.’s patent on a motion to dismiss in Yanbin Yu v. Apple Inc., No. 2020-1760, 2021 U.S. App. LEXIS 17434 (Fed. Cir. June 11, 2021).…

How long does it take to get a patent in 2021? And what about COVID-19?

An applicant secures a patent after successfully prosecuting the patent application at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). When the USPTO believes an application embodies an invention worthy of a patent, the USPTO grants a Notice of Allowance.…

Full Patent Protection vs. a Provisional Patent Application

The cost savings of filing a provisional patent application without consulting a professional are certainly tempting. However, such a strategy may ultimately cost more in the long run, including possibly costing valuable patent protection. What is a Provisional Patent Application?…

The Difference between Utility, Design, and Plant Patents

Intellectual property is generally separated into different categories including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. U.S. patent law further divides patents into three different types: utility, design, and plant patents. Each type of patent serves a similar purpose of spurring…

Copy and Paste – Supreme Court Holds Copying Software Function Calls Was Fair Use

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in litigation involving Google’s Android operating system for mobile devices on April 5, 2021. When developing Android, Google had copied the text and format of function calls from Oracle’s Java SE Application Programming…

Tesla’s Lasers on Vehicle Patent

In May of 2019, Tesla filed a patent application for “Pulsed Laser Cleaning of Debris Accumulated on Glass Articles in Vehicles and Photovoltaic Assemblies.” Instead of using conventional windshield wipers, Tesla envisioned a system to clean debris from any glass…

How to Protect your Trademark

Trademarks are powerful marketing tools that can help a potential customer not only to recall the associated brand but also to affiliate the words of the trademark with that brand. You may want to trademark a phrase to control how…

Trademarks vs. Copyrights for Startups

Intellectual property law includes patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets and is an important consideration for any new business. This article will address trademarks and copyrights, but the law firm of TraskBritt can assist with any intellectual property law needs.…

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