Blog

How to Extend a Provisional Patent Application

Plus: Trump, NASGW, and a Baby My readers all know that the smart start for a small inventor or a new company with an invention to protect is a Provisional patent application (aka “Caveman Patent” because it’s so easy…). For a low flat fee of $1000, and with my personal guidance and coaching, we earn First-to-File “Patent Pending” status by file an inventor-created document that I ensure is legally suitable to describe and illustrate the invention. The “bad news” is that the inventor gets to do most of the work. But, the good news is that we take care of  [...]

Free Patent Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

The Surprises and Secrets of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) Photo credit: Oleg Vo In the patent world, one of the most important, yet sur­pris­ingly overrated issues is secrecy. Yet while it’s a need­less fear for many, it can make sense to protect your­self when you have to trust someone else with your secrets.  An NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) is also known as a “confi­dentiality agreement” (CA), “confidential disclosure agreement” (CDA), “proprietary information agreement” (PIA), or “secrecy agreement” (SA).  They’re all the same  [...]

Funny Lawyer Letter About Disney Trademarks

(And, the Hilarious Lawyer Letter I Never Got to Send) One of the things I love best about my work is filing creative trademarks for inventors and firearms business owners.  One of the things I love least is dealing with some of the “other” lawyers out there. The "Star of Death:? The saga begins when one of my oldest and favorite clients, MGM Targets had me file a trademark application to secure the trademark DEATH STAR for their star-shaped Whirly-Gig® targets.  I have to say that Mike Gibson is one of my favorite industry figures, and maybe that’s  [...]

New Gun Inventions

(But Can’t Reveal…Until Now) The best thing about my job is being on the inside and able to see all the new inventions in our industry.  Sometimes I see some amazing things that I think might just cause revolutionary changes. The worst thing about my job is that I have to keep my mouth shut.  Those who know me know I love to chew the fat, and I write this newsletter as one way to get things off my chest.  So this month’s issue is a first:  I reveal the deepest secrets of some of my clients.  [...]

Mossberg Trigger Patent Dispute – How to Invalidate a Mossberg

Photo credit: The Truth About Guns The Anatomy of a Patent Lawsuit What every patent applicant can learn from the Mossberg Dispute As most of us were enjoying the elegance and convenience of the Kentucky Exposition Center at the NRA Annual Meeting in Louisville, Mossberg filed a lawsuit against 12 trigger makers on the first day of the show.  No “We’ve got a problem” letters.  No phone calls.  Just “Bam!  You’ve been sued.”  It’s a hair-trigger legal strategy that raises the question of whether Mossberg figured they’d probably be sued in 12  [...]

Guns.Com Article about Gun Patent Attorney Ben Langlotz

The PR Triumph I Never Expected I was pleased, flattered, and humbled to be featured last month in a profile interview by one of the Internet’s most prominent gun news blogs, Guns.com. The author gave me a chance to share what I think is really important for gun inventors to know, and threw in a few extra nice words about me after the check from my mother cleared. Seriously, I must thank all those who have had faith in me the early years beginning 15 years ago, when I was an experienced patent attorney who hoped to make my hobby and passion for guns into part of my  [...]