The U.S. Patent Office issued the following 181 patent registrations to persons and businesses in Indiana in March 2015, based on applications filed by Indiana patent attorneys: PAT. NO. Title D725,756 Shower wall D725,754 Tub D725,741 Handheld shower D725,581 Vehicle console portion D725,411 Furniture piece D725,409 Bedrail apron 8996878 Controlling…
Indiana Intellectual Property Law News
U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker Announces Russell Slifer as Deputy Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced the appointment of Russell Slifer as the next Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). Slifer left his role as the Director of the USPTO’s Rocky Mountain Regional Office…
Indiana Trade Secret Litigation: Precision Drone Sues Channel Masters for Misappropriating Trade Secrets
Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana intellectual property lawyers for Precision Drone, LLC of Hamilton County, Indiana (“Precision”) commenced trade secret litigation in Hamilton County Superior Court alleging that Channel Masters, LLC of Wisconsin (“Channel”) breached its contract with Precision by improperly misappropriating and revealing trade secrets belonging to Precision. Precision designs,…
Patent Law: Maintaining Your Patent
All utility patents that issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) from applications filed on or after December 12, 1980 are subject to maintenance fees, which must be paid to maintain the patent in force. Information regarding which patents are subject to maintenance fees and the time of…
Indiana Patent Litigation: Competing Indiana-Based RV Manufacturers Head to Federal Court
South Bend, Indiana – Indiana patent attorneys for Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC (“Heartland”) of Elkhart, Indiana initiated a patent lawsuit in the Northern District of Indiana alleging that Gulf Stream Coach, Inc., (“Gulf Stream”) of Nappanee, Indiana infringed Patent Nos. 7,278,650; 7,878,545 and 8,162,352, each of which is titled “Travel…
Copyright Law: Jury Finds “Blurred Lines” Infringes Copyright; Awards $7.3 Million
Los Angeles, California – The eight-person jury in the highly publicized trial over the song “Blurred Lines” concluded that Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke had infringed the copyright of Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” and awarded almost $7.4 million to Gaye’s family. The 2013 smash hit “Blurred Lines”…
Indiana Trademark News: Indiana Brewer Settles Trademark Dispute
Munster, Indiana – The parties in this dispute were two beer makers, Three Floyds Brewing Company of Munster, Indiana and White Flame Brewing Company of Hudsonville, Michigan, both of which recently manufactured an imperial stout that each named “Black Flame.” Three Floyds, Indiana’s second-largest brewer, made its Black Flame as…
Indiana State Law: Trademarks – Not Just a Federal Matter
In addition to protection under federal trademark law, trademarks can be protected under the state law of Indiana. What does the Indiana Trademark Act protect? The Indiana Trademark Act (I.C. §24-2) protects words, phrases, symbols or designs, or any combinations thereof when they are used to distinguish the source of…
Member Of Megaupload Conspiracy Pleads Guilty to Copyright Infringement Charges and is Sentenced to One Year in U.S. Prison
A computer programmer for the Mega copyright piracy conspiracy, Andrus Nomm, 36, of Estonia, pleaded guilty recently in connection with his involvement with Megaupload.com and associated piracy websites. He was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for conspiring to commit felony copyright infringement. Assistant Attorney General…
Indiana Trade Secret Law: Court Declines to Enter Protective Order Stipulated by Parties
Fort Wayne, Indiana – In the matter of CCT Enterprises, LLC v. Kriss USA, Inc., trade secret lawyers for the parties agreed to a protective order and submitted it to the court pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c). United States Magistrate Judge Susan Collins of the Northern District…