Experts in the field have read holdings to mean that courts may consider extrinsic information to support claims of patent eligibility. Read for additional information on the Federal Court of Appeals’ agreement to allow use of extrinsic evidence.

MEDC is claiming trade secret protection, to protect the tax incentives from being disclosed and citing nondisclosure agreement protection as a basis for its choice of nondisclosure surrounding Michigan cities bids for Amazon campus.

Texas made the news by becoming the first state court to find that communication between a patent agent and a client may qualify for attorney-client privilege protection. 

Cryptocurrency’s recent surge in popularity has raised new questions about ownership, legal protection, and intellectual property law’s role in its burgeoning growth.  This article discusses relationships between cryptocurrency and intellectual property law.

In this article, we discuss the perils of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.  While many have heralded the introduction of blockchain technology, there are still many issues with the new technology.

In this article, we focus on virtual currencies and blockchain technology. Blockchains validate the coins that make up the cryptocurrency.  Blockchains are records that continuously grow.  They are linked and secured using cryptography.

Cryptocurrency is a new term that refers to a digital asset that operates as a medium of exchange. It is similar to traditional currency like the U.S. dollar and because cryptocurrency allows holders of that particular currency to exchange it in an identical manner to traditional money. 

DMCA exemptions and safe harbors exist to grant access if prohibition can be demonstrated to have a substantial adverse effect on the ability of people to make non-infringing uses of copyrighted works.  These exemption rules are reviewed and revised every three years.

With whispers and rumors of Spotify hitting the stock market possibly later this year, speculation of Spotify's business value increase. Potential investors and critics of the streaming service have re-focused on lawsuits that loom over the service.

The USPTO changed the way to revive abandoned, expired, or cancelled trademark applications and registrations.  These new trademark procedures provide more precise timing for petitions to revive.

Building and protecting a brand is integral to becoming successful.  As such, brands and trademarks become extremely valuable assets of a company or entrepreneur, and should be properly managed, registered, and protected. 

The Supreme Court partially struck down law barring registration of marks that are considered disparaging in the landmark decision Matal v. Tam. The Court affirmed the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals decision to allow an Asian American music group to trademark “The Slants” for their band name, even though the USPTO previously rejected registration on the grounds that the mark was a racial slur.

Dr. Seuss’s estate filed a lawsuit against Gerrold - Star Trek on claims of copyright and trademark infringement. At issue is a comic that was co-written by Gerrold called “Oh the Places You’ll Boldly Go.”  The comic combines recognizable elements from both the Star Trek universe and Dr. Seuss’s copyrights.

Wickr is a mobile messaging application that allows for the auto-deletion of messages and requirement of passcodes to retrieve messages.  No law prohibits companies from using such applications, but the rules of evidentiary procedure generally require companies to preserve records that may be deemed relevant to litigation.  As such, Uber’s mere use of Wickr is the first major case to raise the issue of encryption and automated-deletion within companies.