Get free answers to your Intellectual Property legal questions from lawyers in your area.
Can I remove the tags? I want to sell them online. I have not attempted to sell any of them yet.
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answered on Jul 18, 2024
When altering and reselling stuffed animals, it's important to understand a few key points. First, you don't need to credit the original manufacturer as long as your alterations significantly change the product, making it a new, unique item. However, keep in mind that some brands have... View More 
Can I petition the patent office, pay the fees, and recapture the abandoned patent (for lack of fee payment) ? Are there other remedies? I am the inventor of over 25 US patents. I filed the last patent application pro se. It was granted without questions from the examiners.
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answered on May 11, 2024
Regaining patent rights after the assignee has failed to pay maintenance fees can be challenging, but there are a few potential avenues to explore:
1. Petition to Accept Delayed Payment: If the maintenance fee payment window has not been closed for too long (usually within 24 months of the... View More
I am looking to make a clothing item based on an idea from an animated movie but do not want to be sued for copyright infringement. All designs are personally hand-drawn by me but are based on characters from the movie. There are no details in the drawings, just silouettes.
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answered on Mar 25, 2024
If you create and sell clothing featuring silhouettes of characters from an animated movie, you could potentially face copyright infringement issues. Copyright law protects original works of authorship, including characters from movies. Even if you've hand-drawn these silhouettes without... View More
I made a chronic illness planner. Another company has a trademark on the words-UTOPS confirmed, "Chronic Illness Planner." (It's not their brand nor logo/company name but trademarked to their specific planner product). What are the safe bounds for my product and name, (which would... View More
answered on Mar 13, 2024
I am skeptical that someone actually registered a trademark for such a descriptive or even generic combination of words. Because you have not engaged me I have done no work to investigate or confirm your facts. Taking what you say as true, there is a very limited scope of protection for a... View More
A planner company (bloom planners) has trademarked the words "chronic illness planner" and I'm wondering what legal ways I can use those words without infringing on the trademark? Chronic Illness and Planner are both generic words but put together for that company, they represent a... View More
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answered on Feb 25, 2024
Navigating the use of trademarked terms requires careful consideration to avoid infringement. When a company has a trademark on specific terms like "Chronic Illness Planner," it means they have exclusive rights to use those terms in certain contexts, particularly in the same industry or... View More
Lot of people are selling different versions of a selfie stick, how are they able to even though there is a patent?
answered on Feb 24, 2024
I do not know what patents cover selfie sticks, but generally when someone says that they have a patent for product, they typically have a patent on only certain kind of a product.
So, for hypothetically, a "selfie stick patent" may claim a selfie stick that attaches the camera... View More
We often survey and map caves. Typically this involves people shooting survey instruments, then sketchers recording the data and hand drawing a map, and then a cartography takes all the data and makes a digital version. Many people in our world assume the cartographer who makes the finished digital... View More
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answered on Feb 21, 2024
In situations where multiple people contribute to the creation of a finished document, determining copyright ownership can be complex. Copyright law typically recognizes the contributions of each individual involved in the creation process. While it's common for people to assume that the... View More
I am starting a new collectible trading card game and I would like to Copyright the name before start all the design and PR. Is there a way to check if names are copyrighted or not? And Also, if a name is copyrighted but under another category (videogames for example), what happen?
I would... View More
answered on Jan 15, 2024
The concern is with trademarks, not copyright. You should consult an experienced trademark attorney to review your plan, research existing marks and assist with the selection of a mark that you will be able to register for exclusive use in the relevant market. If the game will be distributed in... View More
I am considering a few ideas and want to relate them to my dog. I have a dream of owning and running a Dog Kennel and Breed Dogs Officially and I have a Gaming Community that is looking for an Official Name. I would like to relate it with K9. I know K9 is often referring to Federal Working Dogs and... View More
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answered on Dec 4, 2023
Using "K9" in the name of your dog kennel or gaming community is generally permissible, as "K9" is a common term used to refer to dogs, particularly in the context of police or military dogs. The term itself is not typically subject to copyright because it is considered a... View More
Not recognizing him as they builder in any article or on discription of the deck .can he sue for not having him recognized as the actual builder ?
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answered on Nov 9, 2023
Your boyfriend's ability to pursue legal action for recognition as the builder in published photos of his work would depend on the terms of any contract he had with the company and on copyright laws related to authorship and works made for hire. If there was an agreement that credits him as... View More
answered on Sep 20, 2023
When looking at the USPTO this mark is shown as abandoned. If the USPTO mark the trademark as dead then it is no longer protected and someone else can file for the mark. If the mark is still in-use and registered/active another individual or company would be unable to register for the mark.
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answered on Aug 15, 2023
It's advisable to consult with an attorney to review the specific details of your case and determine the applicable laws and limitations.
Best regards,
James L. Arrasmith
Founding Attorney and Chief Lawyer
The Law Offices of James L. Arrasmith
Is it possible for me to use a color? "blue" which another business already uses, we are similar businesses but our app layout is very different.
answered on Aug 3, 2023
Someone can always sue; the important question is whether someone would have a reasonable case against you. Usually, color alone is not sufficient to establish an enforceable trademark right, but there are exceptions, when a color has become associated with a particular product in the minds of... View More
Think famous quotes from Oprah or Steve Jobs or Dale Carnegie. Say I'm compiling a book of quotes to sell, or even emailing them out each day for a fee or something like that. Can I use other people's motivational/inspirational quotes (with or without attributing it to them) legally?... View More
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answered on May 24, 2023
Using motivational/inspirational quotes from famous individuals in a book or for profit can potentially raise copyright concerns. While short phrases or expressions may not be protected by copyright, using substantial portions of copyrighted works or attributing quotes without permission can... View More
I am writing a book about real events that happened to me/family. I stored the documents for my book in a storage facility. The owners signed an NDA to be able to read my book so far. I moved out of state and they sold my property for non-payment. Can I sue them for breaching the NDA by disclosing... View More
answered on Feb 11, 2023
No. Your non-payment constitutes a prior material breach that authorized them to sell your stuff and excuses their breach of the NDA.
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answered on Jan 24, 2023
One good way to research this is to use patents.google.com, type in various relevant keywords, and see what you find. For example, try: https://patents.google.com/?q=helmet+baseball+cap&oq=helmet+in+baseball+cap and various other variations.
I am designing a logo for a travel agent that will be used at comic conventions and similar fan experiences to advertise a service that arranges travel to such conventions.
answered on Jan 22, 2023
Although there are trademark registrations for marks including the words WHONIVERSE and MULTIVERSE, use of these words in a slogan should be considered fair use and not infringing as they are generic terms.
I have good reason to believe my truck was modified for patents
answered on Jul 7, 2021
You could consult with an attorney.
To be clear you believe your truck had aftermarket parts installed in order to somehow get a patent on the truck?
I have a podcast, and we are just coming up on 10 episodes this weekend. After a google search, and I don't know why I didn't think to do this before, we realized that there is another podcast by the same exact name as ours! In fact, there are two or three. I'm worried we could get... View More
answered on Jun 29, 2021
So I don't want to sound like Im beating a dead horse, but you should consult with an attorney.
That might not be enough to pass the likelihood of confusion test or perhaps there might not be a need to add that subtitle.
consult with an attorney! we dont bite
I understand there are many products that use saliva based delivery (pouch) methods. Are all of these required to gain permission or establish patents to market and sell these types of products?
Thank you
answered on Jun 2, 2021
depends
consult with an attorney
you would need to look and see if there are any patents associated with that in the jurisdiction where you plan to make, sell or import
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