Archive for 2015
The Prinz Law Office Launches New Copyright Law Meetup Group
The Prinz Law Office has just launched a new meetup group on copyright law issues in conjunction with the High Tech Section of the Santa Clara County Bar Association. The new meetup group will be called: Copyright, Software, Internet & Social Media and the Law. The firm anticipates having in-person as well as remote access…
Read MoreSupreme Court Rules Patent Invalidity is Not a Defense to Induced Patent Infringement Claim in Commil USA Case Against Cisco Systems
supreme court, patent invalidity, induced infringement, induce to infringe, Justice Scalia, dissent, Cisco Systems, Commil, Commil USA, Silicon Valley
Read MoreTaking Time to “Date” Before Pursuing an IP Acquisition “Marriage”
Lately many of my technology clients have been negotiating deals involving the purchase or sale intellectual property, so this Forbes story on choosing the right acquisition partner caught my attention. The author carried an interesting analogy about dating through the piece, and listed a number of considerations that a business should have before pursuing either…
Read MoreShould You Follow the Advice of this Start-up if Approached with a Demand Letter by a So-Called ‘Patent Troll’?
Tech Crunch published an interesting commentary today written by Chris Hulls, Chief Executive Officer of Life360, in which Mr. Hulls shares his story of taking on a patent troll and urges other start-ups to do the same. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Life360 patent case, Ars Technica recently published an article…
Read MoreCopyright Reform on the Table in Congress: Songwriter Equity Act of 2015 Introduced in the House of Representatives
Copyright reform is on the table again in Congress. A bill to amend the Copyright Act has just been introduced: the Songwriter Equity Act of 2015. The text of the bill is available at the attached link. Surprisingly, the bill was introduced by Rep. Doug Collins from the 9th District of Georgia. While the Atlanta…
Read MoreLessons from the Copyright Infringement Verdict Against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams
A verdict was reached earlier this week in the copyright infringement case between Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams and the children of Marvin Gaye, finding that the 2013 song “Blurred Lines” infringed on the copyright in Marvin Gaye’s 1977 song “Got to Give it Up.” Tech Times reported that Gaye’s children have been awarded $4…
Read MorePitfalls in Negotiating and Drafting Exclusive Licensing Deals: Lessons from Macy’s Dispute with JcPenney’s Over its Martha Stewart Product Line
When a new client contacts me for assistance in negotiating a licensing deal, the client almost always informs me that the deal is going to be an exclusive licensing arrangement. However, when I engage the client further to tell me more about the proposed exclusivity deal, in most cases the proposed terms on the table…
Read MorePractical Tips on Choosing your Start-Up’s Name
Given my Silicon Valley location, I often am consulted by entrepreneurs and start-ups who have just started a business and are seeking advice on how to protect their trademarks. However, more often than not, I quickly determine that the name that the entrepreneur or start-up has selected is a poor mark and my advice ends…
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