Intellectual Property

The Blonsky Device

I'm a big fan of the Improbable Research group and the Ig Nobel Prizes they give out every year. Usually the achievements they recognize are scientific, but if there is any connection at all with the legal field I am always happy to…


Why Is Trader Joe’s Suing Its Best Customer?

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the "Trader Joe's" grocery chain is suing a guy who has spent more than $350,000 at its stores in the past two years, and many stores have put up his picture in an effort…


U.S. Pat. No. 1,926,420: Monkey Dog Saddle

The official name is "COMBINED RACING GREYHOUND HARNESS AND RIDER SUPPORTING MEANS," but I like mine better. From the application, filed in 1932: In the sport of greyhound racing, that is enjoyed by dog fanciers and racing enthusiasts, there has…


PATENTED: The Yeehaw Faucet

Everybody currently working on a faucet design even remotely like this one can go ahead and stop: Seems mildly surprising that the inventor of D685062 hails from Independence, Missouri, rather than somewhere in Texas, but since I've been to Independence,…


Here Come the Other “Happy Birthday” Lawsuits

Here we go: according to a press release I just got, two more plaintiffs have filed "Happy Birthday" lawsuits—not meaning that they sued somebody on his or her birthday but they are jumping into the litigation over whether "Happy Birthday…


Great Response to a “Prank” Cease-and-Desist Letter

Buzzfeed's question, "Is This The Best Response To A Cease And Desist Letter Ever?," prompted some debate this morning, although it is one of those debates that is not really necessary (which is why we had it on Twitter) because…




Judge Orders Prenda Law Group Beamed Out Into Space

For full coverage of the Prenda Law debacle, let me refer you to Popehat, where Ken has been following it closely for a while now and has written many excellent posts on the saga (with help from, among others, Cathy Gellis). As a…