The U.S. is a party to a number of intellectual property (IP) treaties. These treaties help IP owners in the U.S. protect rights internationally, and help foreign IP owners to protect rights in the U.S. Madrid System One of these treaties is the Madrid System for the International Registration of [...]
On May 1, 2019, two U.S. copyright bills referred to as the “Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019” or “CASE Act of 2019” were introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 2426) and the Senate (S. 1273). The CASE Act bills propose to create a voluntary small [...]
Imagine being ordered by a court to immediately stop using your name. How difficult would it be to: (1) choose a new name; (2) notify everyone of your new name without referencing your prior name; and (3) destroy all materials containing your prior name? Now imagine being ordered by a [...]
For the first time in 20 years, a massive volume of artwork, books, films, music, and other works of authorship that were first published in the United States in 1923 entered the public domain on January 1, 2019. A federal copyright law enacted in 1998 postponed the release into the [...]
State legislatures have been busy enacting or considering new laws governing trade secrets and noncompete agreements, including Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, and Washington. It may be time to blow the dust off your form agreements and confer with intellectual property (IP) counsel to see [...]
As global trade and multinational business grow, worldwide trademark protection has become extremely important. Canada is or may become a vital market for many U.S. brand owners, and vice versa. Brand owners should be aware that the Government of Canada is in the process of implementing a major overhaul of [...]
The value of intangible assets including intellectual property (IP) is rising steeply in the U.S. and globally. Businesses and their advisors need to understand and leverage a company’s portfolio of IP assets to maximize present and future value. An IP audit may help. Tangible and Intangible Business Value In [...]
On October 11, 2018, President Donald J. Trump signed the Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (MMA) into law. This bipartisan law amends the U.S. Copyright Act, and is the first major reform of music copyright law in the U.S. in decades. The MMA seeks to streamline music licensing [...]
By Stephen D. Wilson | October 16, 2018 Did you know that the United States Constitution has an intellectual property (IP) clause? The IP Clause of the U.S. Constitution (1787) The U.S. Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787. Article I, Section 8, Clause 8, of the Constitution grants Congress [...]
By Stephen D. Wilson | September 25, 2018 In an increasingly global, crowded, and competitive market, savvy U.S. brand owners recognize the strategic benefits, value, and necessity of protecting their trademarks and other intellectual property (IP) beyond U.S. borders. The United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) are important [...]
