IPNews® – A group representing 25% of the nation’s farmers is suing agricultural chemical manufacturer Monsanto Company in a preemptive lawsuit.
The lawsuit follows years of patent infringement claims by Monsanto against the companies. The farmers are not seeking any monetary damages. Instead they are attempting to have Monsanto’s corn seed patent invalidated, claiming that it is harmful to society. To continue reading, click Organic Farmers Fight Patent Claims
IPNews® – The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has rejected all four applications by a Canadian marketing company to register the term “CrackBerry” as a trademark.
The judge’s decision was based on evidence provided by BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion that, if the term was to be trademarked, a likelihood of confusion would be created with the public causing dilution to its “BlackBerry” trademark. The Crackberry term has long been used as a nickname by people who jokingly refer to the phone as an addictive device. To continue reading, click: Trademark Board Rejects Crackberry.
IPNews® – 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
IPNews® – 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
IPNews® – 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.
IPNews® – 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
IPNews® – 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.
IPNews® – 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.
IPNews® – 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.
IPNews® – 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