It's a scam. Ignore it.

That is the fastest way to get a complaint and maybe a proceeding that will take your domain name.

Try something else.

Consult an attorney.

Lots of people dream up big ideas and never act on them, then someone else comes up with a similar idea on their own and implements it. What can you do about it? Nothing. Ideas can’t be patented, and if you fail to bring an idea to market or fruition as a product or service, you can’t claim the... View More

A lawyer is unlikely to be useful for a $1,000 bill, because the benefit will not justify the cost. Try calling the water company. It sounds like a leak to me, and WSSC down here usually adjusts bills that accrued due to a leak. Don't ignore it. It will only get worse, and the water bill runs... View More

As long as you are not creating written or media pieces (film) with the name as a title (assuming the name is unique and identical to the TV show) then there is probably neither copyright nor trademark infringement. But without reviewing the specific title and nature of your business it is... View More

Almost certainly your use violates their trademark, and the penalties for exploiting their trademark for commercial gain to sell your product are severe (you not only pay all of their attorney's fees, but penalties and forfeiture of all profits earned as a result). Kellogg's will hire... View More

Many government websites make information readily available for search but have a disclaimer that the information cannot be harvested by an auto-bot, software programs, etc. Harvesting an entire database is probably not going to fly, but without knowing what database you are trying to access, one... View More

As long as you were already using the name before she took out the trademark then she can’t stop you using the name, if that is your concern.

PAIR shows this case as alive and the fees were paid at 3.5 years so next fee window opens 8/16/2018.

I hope this helps.

Kevin E Flynn

Here is a helpful resource: https://www.uspto.gov/patents-maintaining-patent/maintain-your-patent

If you are seeking to file a patent application to claim something in a provisional application by some other inventor -- that does not work as you need to be the original inventor. You cannot file a patent application on a good idea that someone else had -- even if they did not seek to claim that... View More

In my opinion, your proposed idea is not a prudent one and could very well be a costly one.

You need to get connected with an attorney that has been down this road many times before. You will need a non-disclosure/non-use agreement that is used with folks that are given access to your design.

To the extent that you work with vendors to improve your design, the paperwork needs... View More

There is not really an international patent. There is a process to file a patent application which serves as the front end for the patent application systems for 152 countries or regions http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/pct_contracting_states.html. This is a Patent Cooperation Treaty Application (PCT).... View More

Great question.

Here are some points to consider.

1) It is extremely rare that someone submits a patent application for the first x (first transistor, first airplane, first telephone). We remember those folks as they are few and far between. Most patent applications are filed on... View More

It usually refers to additional owners other than the first named owner. For example, if a property was owned jointly by Abe, Bill, and Charles, the bill may say Abe, et al.

First things first: register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office. The filing fee is small ($30). An attorney can help you with that process, and it's important to ensure that the registration is properly filed.

You may also want to try trademarking the slogan. Filing an... View More

Theft of intellectual property I have never heard of in criminal court. It sounds more like a civil case.

The content of websites is copyrighted as soon as it is created. If you are copying the code and content of the old website, you would face liability for copyright infringement.

Additionally, if you use any images on these sites, to which you do not own the rights to publish, you could be... View More

This online forum exists for general questions, not so much for attorneys to research a particular question. That being said, to see if a particular name is available one can contact the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. Even if a name is available per the Maryland SDAT, a business... View More