It’s taken me 30 years of practice to realize it, but most of what I do is help clients manage decision making in an uncertain world. Getting comfortable with uncertainty, and managing it wisely are keys to success. The Covid-19 pandemic is a good example. At the outset, it looked like it might be very bad. I’m talking about ambulances hauling away dead neighbors [...]
After 30 years as a patent attorney, I find that inventing and pursing my own patents keeps me sharp and stimulated. I’ve written about how hobbies that train me in technology (like camera lens repair) make me a smarter patent attorney. Years ago, I got a patent on a drop in part for a Steyr AUG trigger that reduces the heavy pull weight, and it’s been featured in a [...]
HOW TO PROTECT “COOL” TWO FAMILIAR WAYS TO PROTECT PRODUCT DESIGNS, PLUS A THIRD WAY YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF AND CAN UNDOUBTEDLY AFFORD. Everyone wants a patent. It’s perfectly logical to want to protect a new product. Technical innovations help set you apart in a crowded marketplace and a patent prevents anyone else from offering your innovation for 20 [...]
When you own property rights like patents or trademarks, you have the right to stop infringers. But only if you know they exist. Often an infringer will be operating below your radar and will come to your attention only late in the game, when the infringer is entrenched and reluctant to back off. How can we detect infringers as quickly as possible, so that their response [...]
On approach to NASGW No, it’s nothing to worry spouses of those of us who visit several industry gatherings per year. But, there’s something special about NASGW. I always used to say it’s the show they put on just for me, so I can meet with 100 clients in one practical venue, plus see other friends. But something kept coming up in Pittsburgh last month when I [...]
How to Beat the Weaselly Arguments From Your Competitor’s Patent Attorney... The “Keep Alive” Strategy Revealed Some Lawyers are Cuter than Others There’s nothing quite as sweet as when your patent application earns its “Notice of Allowance” and is about to become a patent. It means your invention was truly novel, and your patent attorney did a good job. In [...]
