Los Angeles - New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin has created quite a stir with his recent play.
“Linsanity,” the term used to describe the frenzy surrounding the 23-year-old’s popularity, is now the subject of at least 5 U.S. Trademark Applications. Two of the five applications were filed before Lin filed his own Linsanity application, setting up a future conflict. To continue reading, click: Trademark Filing Linsanity
Los Angeles - Honeywell International Inc. has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Nest Labs, Inc., a startup company founded by former Apple engineers and executives.
The lawsuit alleges that the new Nest Thermostat infringes seven patents related to Honeywell thermostat technology. Honeywell is reportedly seeking an injunction against Nest Labs to ban it from continued sales. To continue reading, click: Thermostat Patent Litigation
An energy drink company in Poland has once again been denied a trademark for Viaguara, because it is too similar to Pfizer's well-known Viagra.
The high court of the European Union made the decision not only based on the fact that use of the similar trademark would take unfair advantage and exploit the Viagra trademark, but also because of medical implications that could result from consumer confusion. To continue reading, click: Viaguara Trademark Denied.
A Manhattan clothing designer is attempting to capitalize on the name of the newborn daughter of rap and hip hop stars Beyonce and Jay-Z.
An attorney for Joseph Mbeh has filed an application to trademark the name “Blue Ivy Carter NYC” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The trademark application was reportedly filed without the consent or knowledge of the famous couple. To continue reading, click: Blue Ivy Carter Trademark
Los Angeles - With Asian technology giants on its heels, IBM managed to keep its top patent holder spot for the nineteenth straight year. With 6,180 new patents in 2011, IBM is facing stiff competition in the rankings from companies such as Samsung, who had an eight percent growth with 4,894 new patents.
With only two American companies in the top 10, the Asian companies are also setting records for number of pending patent applications, which is a good indicator of future patent grants. To continue reading, click: IBM No. 1 in Patents.
San Diego - In its wildcard playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, it appears that the Denver Broncos committed a foul against Texas A&M University.
Just before the game a man parachuted into the stadium with a banner using the "12th Man" phrase which is a trademark owned by the University. Texas A&M's rights in the name date back to an incident in 1922 when a former player was called from the stands to suit up for the team. To continue reading, click: Texas A&M Tells Broncos Not to Use 12th Man Trademark.
Los Angeles - Apple has filed a patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark to use hydrogen fuel cell technology in its portable electronic devices such as the iPhone and iPad. The technology offers the potential to go weeks without charging and cut down on the bulk and weight of batteries currently used in portable electronic devices.
New developments in hydrogen fuel cell technology has allowed for the possibility of using the technology in smaller devices. It’s expected that Apple will incorporate this technology in its next generation of products potentially giving it a huge leg-up against rivals. To continue reading click: Fuel Cell Powered Laptops.
San Diego - The city of Nashville is having to make a last-minute change to the centerpiece of its New Years Eve festivities. For the last two years, the Music City had a large, glowing Gibson guitar dropping over Lower Broadway to ring in the New Year.
Now, because the Hard Rock Café, which owns the trademark "Gibson Guitar Drop", is no longer a sponsor of the Music City New Years Eve Bash, Nashville must abandon use of the guitar trademark to avoid any allegations of infringement. The city, home to the Grand Ole Opry, will ring in the New Year with a fifteen-foot music note making the slow-motion descent instead. To continue reading, click: Nashville Guitar Drop Called Off
California - The European Commission has opened an investigation against Honeywell and Dupont as to whether they were forthcoming in disclosing patents while developing automobile refrigerant. Honeywell has been accused of not disclosing patents to the Society of Automobile Engineers and failing to grant licenses on fair and reasonable terms.
It is alleged that Honeywell committed a patent ambush which occurs when a company withholds relevant information to a standard-setting organization creating a standard in favor of the withholding company. To continue reading, click here: Europe Patent Ambush.
Los Angeles - On December 13, 2011 Google was granted U.S. Patent Number 8,078,349 which provides for a transition from a human driver to an autonomous, self-driving car. Google believes that the self-driving car will reduce traffic accidents by half, while also increasing fuel efficiency. In other words, the cars will drive themselves better and more safely than the humans can.
To maximize safety, Google has employed redundant systems to prevent the self-driving car from being reliant on just one component to avoid accidents. To continue reading, click Google Working on Self-Driving Cars.
