FROM THE CHAIR
by Sue H. Johnson, Carrington, Coleman. Sloman & Blumenthal,
LLP, Dallas, TX
FEATURES
Welcome To The Wonderful
World Of IP
by Linda Jean Schneider, Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP,
Philadelphia, PA
A Day In The Life Of An IP Librarian
by Hope Porter, Merchant & Gould, Minneapolis, MN
IP Blogs: Pocket Parts For A Digital Age
by Robert J. Ambrogi, Rockport, MA
The IP Librarians� Web Favorites
by Jennifer C. Groh and Clifford Hoffman, Morgan & Finnegan LLP,
New York, NY
PLL NEWS
The Call for Paper has
Begun
Sue H. Johnson
Happy New Year, everyone, and may this year bring us job satisfaction,
happiness, and above all, peace. 2005 is the year to Strategize! In
keeping with AALL�s theme for the meeting in July in San Antonio, PLL-SIS
committees and groups are thinking of ways to strategically position
their libraries to respond to pressures from without and within, and how
to strategically assist their firms in their practices.
For example, Lee Nemchek, chair of the Records Management Group, is
presenting a program on outsourcing at AALL 2005, focusing on libraries
and records management departments. This is a �hot� topic which has
spread from corporations like SBC to the legal profession. However, it
is up to us, as leaders in our firms, to hear the speakers, analyze the
information and Strategize what is the most efficient course for our
constituents. Another PLL team, Janeen Heath and Terri Lawrence, is
presenting a program on Strategic Partnering. Janice Leichter and
Michelle Mitchell, co-chairs of the One Person Library Group, have
started a discussion on �How to Keep Your Library Alive,� embracing such
topics as continuing education, keeping current and marketability. Even
if you are not in a one-person situation, this could prove stimulating,
and could certainly help anyone think of developing new directions in
their library, so check it out! Do you see a pattern here? Are YOU
strategizing on behalf of your firm?
If you tuned in to the Publishing Initiatives Caucus Forum last fall,
you saw what librarians across the country are doing to get published in
newspapers and journals read by attorneys. Another strategy to showcase
our value to our firms! Terri Lawrence, formerly on the PLL board, has
offered to work with volunteers from various publishers to assist each
of us in polishing our styles to make an article publishable. Hope�s
�Day in the Life of�, in this issue, could be revised to provide
valuable strategies for IP attorneys without the benefit of a librarian
and appear in various bar publications. It is up to each of us to think
strategically about promoting our talents. Remember, we�re not �Alices
in Wonderland��we know where we want to go, and that is forward,
furthering not only our careers but also the image of law librarians in
the minds of the world. No Nancy Pearl bobble-heads we!
WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL
WORLD OF IP
by Linda Jean Schneider, Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP,
Philadelphia, PA*
Two innocent-looking letters of the alphabet, �IP,� form the
abbreviation for two �not-so-little� words: �Intellectual Property.�
However innocuous-sounding the phrase, the resulting impact of a merger
with or acquisition of an IP Group can open up a �brand new world� for
the Library/Research Department of a firm. OR find you drowning in a
concoction (TMEP, PTC, PCT, TLT, UCC, U.S.PQ, GATT, TRIPS, U.S.PTO,
INPADOC) resembling alphabet soup!
As demonstrated by the proliferation of new publications, services, new
columns in existing publications and separate directories of
Intellectual Property lawyers, IP is certainly the fastest growing
segment of law practices. The implications of IP Law frequently have no
boundaries and often do have global impact. Therefore, there are
treaties and international agreements in each of the three primary
areas, with differing deadlines for compliance, governing bodies and
procedures. And, although they are frequently mentioned in the same
breath under the umbrella of Intellectual Property, it is quite
necessary to identify and differentiate the three primary areas:
Patents, Trademarks and Copyright. (a.k.a. �PTC�).
There are also vastly different ways of handling these practices which
can change existing procedures such as stamping in the mail, handling
client billing and organizing docketing systems. IP attorneys invariably
have backgrounds that include an advanced degree and expertise in at
least one other scientific or technical field, so their preferences for
research sources and ways to handle litigation and processing are
correspondingly varied. All these factors combine to create a
challenging environment for those responsible for guiding the practice
group in its research endeavors.
Merely identifying the various resources for IP -- print and online --
can be a staggering task for Information Professionals (�IPs!�) and may
virtually alter the nature of the research and retrieval
responsibilities of the staff. There is even a publication with the
title Managing IP. (Oh, if only we could!) We hope the following rather
cursory analysis will assist you with starting this momentous adventure.
COPYRIGHT -- CONTROLLING CONTENT:
Copyright is an area of IP law with which �Information Professionals�
have some familiarity, as librarians often deal with the issues of
making print and digital copies of collection resources. Those issues
have implications far beyond library walls. The concepts of �fair use�
and �infringement� continue to challenge information professionals on a
daily basis as they do battle with the conflict between technological
capabilities and intellectual property rights. Even within the same law
firm, there can easily be disagreements about the degree to which
copying or re-distributing material electronically will be a violation
of �fair use.�
The basis for American copyright law is in the Constitution itself.
However, subsequent legislation and court decisions have wrestled with
maintaining the constitutional perspective in the midst of modern media
mayhem. Practitioners in this specialty find it challenging to keep up
with the latest caselaw and proposed legislation while simultaneously
keeping grounded in what constitutes �public domain,� �creativity� and
�originality.�
Resources include loose-leaf reporters and materials, as well as
websites such as Stanford�s on Fair Use and the U.S. Copyright Office at
the Library of Congress (http://www.copyright.gov) and some of the
DIALOG files. BNA, Mealey�s, and Andrews all offer e-mail alerts and
comprehensive newsletters; and LEXIS and WESTLAW offer the usual sources
for caselaw analysis. Columns on copyright, such as the �Copyright
Corner� in the SLA monthly publication, Information Outlook, and
articles and guidelines from library associations provide assistance in
understanding the complexities of this topic. The primary resource is
the ubiquitous Nimmer on Copyright, multiple copies of which will
undoubtedly be required for those involved in the practice!
TRADEMARK -- MONITORING THE MARKETPLACE AND �MADRID:�
American Trademark Law is embodied in the Lanham Act, which established
a national registration system. In a true illustration of �Timing is
everything,� conflicts regarding trademarks are resolved according to
the priority of appropriation. Consequently, a separate procedure for
time-stamping mail received relating to Trademarks needs to be
established. Key resources include the Trademark regulations in Title 37
of the CFR, the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP), and the
treatise, McCarthy on Trademarks and Unfair Competition.
As a necessary part of due diligence in this area of the law, searching
trademarks may involve a staff of specialists who monitor every possible
variation of specific �marks,� using a variety of tools. These tools
range from manually reading each issue of The Official Gazette and
Allen�s Trademark Digest to subscribing to online retrieval sources,
such as Corsearch from CCH (formerly �Trademark Access�), Trademark.com,
and Saegis� Trademarkscan (also available via Dialog). Perhaps due to
the varied backgrounds of trademark lawyers, each of them has a favorite
way to track the marks. Primary services for this task include
Corsearch�s QUATRA, the MarkMonitor product from LexisNexis, Trademark
Explorer from Questel, and TrademarkBots.com. When in doubt, start with
the U.S.PTO. (http://www.uspto.gov/index.html ).
For international trademark registration, the Madrid Protocol became
effective in November of 2003, and it established a way to
simultaneously register trademarks in several countries with one
application. In addition to streamlining procedures, the Protocol was
intended to reduce costs for registration in more than one country.
Obviously, this was �Big News� for trademark practitioners, with the
potential for a broad change in the practice. However, caution was
advised if broader coverage was sought in a particular country, and also
as to whether costs might be lower using the European Commission�s
trademark system.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS � PATENT RESEARCH AND RETRIEVAL:
Last, but certainly �most,� [sic] is the area of patent law, where there
are new worlds to conquer. Patent attorneys typically have a background
which includes at least one other advanced degree (sometimes more than
one!). These degrees range from all types of engineering to other
scientific expertise. The variety of research topics, the richness of
the sources to mine for information and the ability to relate to how
patented materials affect our daily lives make it both interesting and
frustrating.
For example, the patent application process consists of complex
procedures and tasks, while there are endless sources of background and
supporting information which need to be verified in patent litigation.
Occasionally, entire separate collections of materials/publications are
required to support patent litigation. This is especially true in the
area of art works, but also for other inventions and creations. The
concepts to grasp in this field include �prior art,� �non-obviousness of
patentability,� �utility,� �novelty,� �literality,� and �infringement,�
�history of the art,� �flash of creative genius� -- to start.
Speaking of definitions, dictionaries of all types -- from those for
technical specialties to the OED itself -- need to be consulted in the
course of the development of a patent claim. And the definitions
required for this analysis are not necessarily the latest versions, as
available on various websites, but are the definitions printed at a
specific time, in a specific area of technical expertise. Those
definitions are used to clarify the terms used in the claim. Recently,
the Federal Circuit has had difficulty with identifying the appropriate
dictionaries to cite in these types of cases, and opinions have been
rendered on both sides of the �definition battle.�
For tracking patent filing in print, The Official Gazette: Patents, and
The U.S. Patent Quarterly are essential and are used by paralegals and
attorneys alike. Online versions of those publications exist but do not
always fill the bill. To provide access to the variety of sophisticated
patent sources, a firm may well double the number of online resources
used for searching and/or retrieval. As noted, the varied backgrounds of
patent lawyers quite often yield a corresponding preference for a
specific type of online access, which seems to answer a particular
technical or analytical need for the practice. And, the attorneys do
expect those sources to be immediately accessible and responsive.
Unfortunately, as services change, merge, and implement technical
adjustments, this is not always the case. The library staff is
frequently caught in the midst of this difficulty with accessing the
services and can spend an inordinate amount of time trying to get the
vendor�s IT Department to communicate with IS in the firm.
The most well-known retrieval resources include Delphion, DIALOG,
Derwent (Went Where?), MicroPatent, QPAT from Questel/Orbit, and Optipat.
Both LEXIS and WESTLAW have patent databases, but again, everyone seems
to have a �personal favorite.� When compiling comparison charts,
librarians struggle to find a �winner.� As with most online sources,
those with which one is most familiar seem to yield the best results. No
surprise there! There also is a great distinction between in-depth
services with search capabilities, patent drawings, legal status, and
patent family history, and those which offer simple retrieval passwords
and capabilities. Training for searching versus that for retrieval is
something the library staff frequently coordinates.
To add to the confusion, there have been changes in ownership of
specific services, as well as mergers. Currently, Thomson (Delphion,
Derwent, and DIALOG) has made an offer for Information Holdings, Inc.,
the parent of MicroPatent, but the change in ownership is contingent on
some DOJ investigation. Simply keeping track of the coverage, the cost
and manner of billing, the number of users, the availability of customer
training and support, and bill-back features for each service is a
mammoth task. As with most resources in the rapidly-changing online
landscape, one needs to constantly re-evaluate the value and
capabilities of these various services.
Most of these services include ways to retrieve international patents,
but one should always confirm the information at Esp@cenet (http://ep.espacenet.com
), the European Patent Office at http://www.european-patent-office.org/index.en.php,
and the Industrial Property Digital Library (Japan), at http://www.ipdl.jpo.go.jp/homepg_e.ipdl
.
DOCUMENT DELIVERY AND RETRIEVAL:
Finally, as mentioned previously, both patent and trademark litigation
require a great deal of supporting documentation and verification from
the technical publications and resources. For document delivery, in
addition to the usual retrieval services, access to more specialized
collections may be required. Some of the best include: the British
Library�s �Inside Web� service (http://www.bl.uk/services/current/inside.html),
the University of Minnesota�s Biomedical Information Service (http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/bis/bismain.html)
and the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology
(http://www.lindahall.org/services/document_delivery/index.shtml). Jean
Shipman, Librarian for the Health Sciences Library at Virginia
Commonwealth University, has compiled a list of document delivery
suppliers, with links, at http://www.library.vcu.edu/tml/docsupp .
For megasites of IP material, consider going to Findlaw�s Directory of
IP Resources (www.findlaw.com/01topics/23intellectprop/index.html),
Franklin Pierce Center�s IP Mall (http://www.ipmall.fplc.edu ) and the
Intellectual Property Law Server (http://www.intelproplaw.com ).
So there you have it: a cursory examination of intellectual property
resources, sites, and potential challenges. It�s the IP World, and
you�re Welcome to it!
*Linda-Jean Schneider, with assistance from Dianne T. Moore and Janet A.
Moore, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN IP LIBRARIAN
by Hope Porter, Merchant & Gould, Minneapolis, MN
This is a "day in the life" article. Working in an IP library requires
the skills of a "generalist." Whether it's finding corporate tree
information, creating patent portfolios, establishing the usage of a
product in the marketplace or locating an inventor - every day is
different. The starting-bell rings, and we're off on the challenge of
the day.
Our library staff at M&G consists of two full-time librarians and one
half-time librarian. We all have had extensive experience with searching
patents, trademarks and business and scientific literature databases.
We've all had extensive DIALOG training and experience and as such that
is generally our frame of reference. In a way, the very files that we
search and the records we have to "read" have taught us the "basics" of
what we know about patents and how they are prosecuted.
I am a 16-year veteran at the firm, and my staff has multiple years of
experience not just at our firm but in other settings - including a
software development company and a technical searching firm. In
addition, one of our librarians has extensive experience researching the
genealogy of her family and has published a book. It's amazing how those
skills translate well into this environment where searching for people's
names is critical!
Today, one of my trusty staff gets a request to locate all of the U.S.
patents owned by (or as we say - "assigned to") a particular company and
then identify all of those that have EXPIRED. "Expired" can mean they
failed to pay their maintenance fees (due every four, eight and twelve
years after the patent is granted), or "expired" from a natural "death"
(the patent ran its course). Nowadays a patent "lives" for 20 years, but
before 2001 it had an 18 year life span. So, the searcher consults the
DIALOG Bluesheets and finds out that File 654 (U.S. patents full-text
file from the early 1970's) has a field "dt" for document type. One of
the "types" is "expired". So, she easily combines the sets for the
number of patents to company X AND the set for all those patents
"EXPIRED." In this case, that means EXPIRED because they failed to pay
maintenance fees.
Other inquiries today include the old "standby" - �Is there a U.S.
patent equivalent to this French patent?" Why would you want to know
this? Well, for one thing, if you found out that the same patent was
also sought after in the U.S. or Great Britain, the text would be in the
English language. Much easier to read if you aren't up on your French
and much cheaper than arranging for a translation.
I routinely check BOTH the DERWENT AND the INPADOC files on DIALOG for
this "equivalents" kind of search. Invariably I find differences though
both tout this "family" information. In today's exercise, for instance,
I find an AU (Australian), EP (European), and U.S. equivalent for the
French patent. On INPADOC, I find additionally, that an equivalent was
filed in Spain and Canada. INPADOC tends to cover more countries and is
a bit more up to the minute in its coverage. However, DERWENT also
covers some countries that INPADOC doesn't. Sometimes Mexican and Korean
patent publications show up in DERWENT, but not in INPADOC.
The whole business of finding patent "families" is more complex than
just plugging in patent numbers. An understanding of the content of
these two files AND of how they are compiled is critical in reporting
findings to the patron. To summarize, DERWENT is highly edited (they
create titles and abstracts from foreign documents) by humans. Even so,
during a specific time period in history they weren't associating every
application that they could have. So, now we routinely use a little map
command. That command - "map anpryy temp� tells DIALOG to take the
priority application out of the record and run it all across DERWENT to
see if there are any other matches. That way, you should see any other
"family" members of the patent - children, grandparents, sisters and
brothers.
INPADOC connects the dots (associates families) using complex
computerized algorithms. But, occasionally a number gets transposed as
it is being streamed into an initial DIALOG database (such as the WO
file) and then gets propagated incorrectly among other patent files on
DIALOG. One has to keep a sharp eye out for strange entries WITHIN an
INPADOC record - namely a published application for an electronic
toothbrush, for example, in the same record with patents for
cancer-fighting drugs. A call to DIALOG usually confirms your suspicions
and helps them to correct errors.
One of the patent searches that we routinely perform is a kind of "legal
status" check. Obviously, if a patent has expired or been in some kind
of litigation, it could impact the way the attorney proceeds with the
project. Our search query includes checking for any reissue or reexam
applications, any certificates of correction, litigation, family (U.S.
and foreign) and whether or not the U.S.PTO still deems the patent
"alive." We Shepardize the patent and check at the PTO's website for the
maintenance fee information. While we're there, we check the "Assignment
Database" that the PTO posts - providing an abstracted record of any
assignments or reassignments. We use a number of files on DIALOG for
this job - including a very unique file called LitAlert. LitAlert is a
compilation of Federal District court filings streaming into the office
of the Assistant patent commissioner. Each Federal District court must
report any patent or trademark suit to the PTO within 30 days of the
filing. DERWENT actually creates this database. The beauty of this file
is that you can use the PATENT number to search. You can also look for
cases using a trademark registration number. Very handy!
The Electronic Business page at the U.S.PTO contains PAIR (Patent
Application Information Retrieval) access. For U.S. patents that have
published or issued, you can view a table of contents for the file,
check the maintenance fee schedule of payments (and see which ones have
been paid so far), view actual images/documents (for newer patents) and
check out the "Continuity Data." Does the patent you are interested in
have a "parent?" Is it a DIV or a CIP or a Continuation? Were other
patents (children) filed based on this one? Have they issued or are they
still lying there - waiting to publish or issue?
Every year we have new summer clerks and fall associates who come to the
firm prepared to accomplish all their patent searching on the internet.
(www.uspto.gov). Since the U.S.PTO has loaded the full text of patents
back to the mid 70's or so, you can now accomplish a "preliminary"
key-word search there. Using the U.S. patent classification codes, you
can also group together "like" patents and find relevant patents. (The
classification system is posted at the U.S.PTO's website along with all
kinds of "helps" for searching). An assignee or inventor search can be
done rather handily as well. One very nice feature now is that you can
link to the actual image of the patent; and if time permits, print the
patent one page at a time. In addition, if you want to see what patents
have cited your target patent SINCE it issued (as opposed to the patents
that are BEING cited on the patent), it's an easy click to view those,
too.
But, I have to admit, I'm rather attached to the "expand" feature on the
DIALOG system which allows you to view some entries that come (either
alphabetically or numerically) before and after your entry. This is
essential with some foreign patent numbers, Japanese in particular.
You'll know right away that something is amiss if all the numbers above
and below yours are longer or shorter.
If you are looking for all patents assigned to the University of Iowa,
for example, you'd be wading into muddy waters. But, using the expand
feature (e pa= ) on DIALOG will allow you to view VARIANT entries for
this entity. You will quickly discover that only 1 of their patents is
listed by "University of Iowa" in the Claims database - nor are they
listed as "Regents of the University of Iowa." Then, I started thinking
"outside the box." I tried typing in "Iowa University." There were no
patents to that entity, but further down the expanded list, I saw that
"IOWA, UNIVERSITY OF RESEARCH FOUNDATION" had 403 patents! Then, I
noticed that there are patents to "Iowa State University Research
Foundation" - 917 of them! If I had just tried University of Iowa on the
PTO's website, I probably would not have found the ones to the Research
Foundation!
Later in the day, someone asks us to help identify a Japanese patent.
These are the trickiest of all patent numbers, to my mind. You'll need
to brush up on your history of Japan for this one. For instance, you
need to know that the former emperor died in 1988 and that that affected
the entire patent numbering system. If you're lucky enough to have the
date for the patent and it is BEFORE 1988, then you need to think about
the difference between the "Year of the Emperor" (the Japanese dating
system) and the "Western Year" (a 25-year differential). If the number
you're given doesn't "work," you may have to try adding or subtracting
that number to find the correct patent. If you don't have any luck in
either DERWENT or INPADOC, the JAPIO database (consisting of the
applications filed at the Japanese patent office) is a good place to
try. Some Japanese patents were never loaded onto DERWENT.
We also have high praise for the Dialog1.com website. You select
"Intellectual Property," then "patents," then "Japanese patents" from a
list. You can get a list of potentially correct "hits" to whatever
Japanese number you enter. DIALOG will automatically enter your number
(or the variant 25 +/- of that number) as an Application number or a
Published number. Very handy!
If you're still with me, you will notice by now, that in no way do we
rely on just one source for patent research. We have access to and use
LEXIS, Delphion and STN (molecular structure searching capability) as
well as DIALOG. Delphion, for instance, might provide the address of the
inventor you're researching which is handy when the inventor's name is
David Smith and you need to narrow your search. Delphion also contains
some drawings for Japanese patents. LEXIS is especially useful, since it
streams in data directly from the Notices in the Patent Official Gazette
regarding post-issuance activity - like applications for reexamination
or reissue, or certificate of correction as well as noting any cases -
filed and published. One can still "Lexsee" to a patent for about $5.00
- a great bargain!
I'm pretty sure I've only scratched the surface here. There are other
vendors and products out there to help you with your patent searching.
For instance, one of the important "Pointers" that we picked up this
spring at a Patent Information Users Group (see www.piug.org) meeting in
Baltimore was about the roll-out of the proprietary patent database from
the U.S.PTO. The system is named WEST - Web Examiner Search Tool. This
system was made available in July 2004. Check your local depository
library for access to this database. It might change the practice of
actually traveling to the U.S. Patent office to do a search on their
database!!
Out on the Internet, you'll find that many countries have begun
providing patent search capability on their official patent office
websites. Obviously, there may be language barriers but numbers are
universal and may work. Esp@cenet is one of our favorite places to visit
for foreign patent information. It is also a source for patent family
information - though it won't provide the essential "status" information
that INPADOC does. This site is "owned and operated" by the European
Patent Office. In many cases you can view the "original document" (pdf)
of a patent you find there. You may need special software to print or
download these and you'll have to open one page at a time.
Often, an attorney will come to us with a search query and want to sit
with us while we search. To my mind, this is a perfect set up. You've
got the expert at the technology sitting there with the online operator.
The first thing we do is help the patron DEFINE the search. Do you want
to search U.S. and/or foreign databases? Do you need to search full-text
or is claims and abstracts okay? Do you have a time frame in mind? Will
we limit the patent search to just those owned by a particular company
or group of companies? Do we need to find all the subsidiaries of that
company first? What if we don't find any patents for that company? Who
are the principles of that organization? Would they have filed the
patent in the name of the president or other principal in the firm? Do
you want to use classification codes to search? Do you need to use the
index first to identify the codes? Do we need to sit and think of all
the synonyms for the terms we're going to search?
And so it goes. Grab a cup of coffee and settle in for an hour or so.
And we know when to "hold 'em" and when to "fold �em,� too. We know our
limitations and have lined up outside help for the really complex
searching (chemical or medical or electronic).
Our day isn't complete unless we're asked to obtain copies of patents
(U.S. or foreign). We use the services of our old friends at Reedfax.
Just this week, I sent a long list of patents that I needed. They loaded
them on a CD, and I received the disc the very next morning! Their most
popular product (at least at our firm) is their patents via email - that
come in less than 5 minutes at a very reasonable cost. (Searchable .pdf
versions are now available for e-mail delivery!)
Actually, our day is probably a bit more predictable than I let on at
the beginning of this article. But, since the patent laws shift and the
international scene continues to change and develop, there's still a
learning curve. But, where else could you just laugh out loud at some of
the absolutely weird products that people are moving to the market
place? Example: A centrifugal birthing machine - with neonatal net
(imagine it!). Yikes!
IP BLOGS: POCKET PARTS FOR A
DIGITAL AGE*
By Robert J. Ambrogi, Rockport, MA
For lawyers in many fields, blogs are becoming the new pocket part. With
their immediacy and focus, they provide up-to-the-minute news and
analysis of judicial, legislative and regulatory developments.
More than in any other area of law, this is the case for intellectual
property. Dozens of blogs now track developments in patent, trademark
and copyright law. Written by practicing lawyers, full-time academics
and even non-lawyers, they discuss events virtually as they happen,
often adding their unique perspective and analysis.
Herewith is a survey of selected IP blogs. The listing is alphabetical,
not by ranking. (For the sake of space, omitted are those that focus on
domain name rights and governance.)
A Copyfighter's Musings,
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/cmusings. Derek
Slater, a 21-year-old senior at Harvard College, writes this blog,
focused on copyright law as it pertains to the Internet. Don't let his
age or lack of a law degree throw you � he earned his stripes working
with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Creative Commons and the
Samuelson Clinic, and he is an affiliate at Harvard's Berkman Center,
where he works on its Digital Media Project.
Anything Under the Sun Made by Man,
www.krajec.com/blog. This blog
about patents and business strategies is written by Coloradan Russ
Krajec, a registered patent agent, engineer, and inventor with more than
20 U.S. patents of his own. He writes about topics such as claims and
drafting, patent strategies and the business of patent law.
Berkeley Intellectual Property Weblog,
www.biplog.com. Originally
produced by a class at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism,
faculty and students carry on its mission of advancing the debate over
intellectual property by aggregating noteworthy, factual information
with thought-provoking commentary.
BLOG@IP::JUR, www.ipjur.com. German patent attorney Axel H. Horns
writes about developments in IP law, focused on German and European
patents and trademarks.
Chris Rush Cohen, www.chris-cohen.blogspot.com. A third-year student
at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Cohen writes about IP and Internet
law, technology news, and New York City.
CONSEJO,
http://consejo.blogspot.com, Described as an IP law blog, it
appears to be abandoned, having no new postings since December 2003.
Copyfight, www.corante.com/copyfight. Focused on "the politics of IP,"
Copyfight is jointly written by a group of academics, practitioners and
writers highly regarded in the fields of IP and Internet law. Their
purpose is to explore the nexus of law and "the networked world."
Current Copyright Readings,
http://copyrightreadings.blogspot.com. M.
Claire Stewart, head of digital media services at the Northwestern
University Library, describes this as a bibliography of current articles
on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the TEACH act and other
copyright issues.
Dan Fingerman, www.danfingerman.com/dtm. A patent litigator in San
Jose, Calif., Fingerman, writes about a hodgepodge of topics, from
patents to hockey.
Deep Links, www.eff.org/deeplinks. This group blog from Electronic
Frontier Foundation staff members features pointers to news articles and
blog posts related to IP, privacy, free speech online, technology and
Internet architecture.
Rader Blog, http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/blogs/rader. Fellow in
residence at Stanford Law School's The Center for Internet and Society,
Elizabeth Rader writes about IP, privacy and Internet law.
Furdlog, http://msl1.mit.edu/furdlog. Senior research engineer at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Technology, Policy
and Industrial Development, Frank Field writes about the technology,
culture and policy of IP.
Geof's Waste of Bandwidth Blog,
www.geofoberhaus.com/mt. Noting that
the three requirements for patentability are utility, novelty and
nonobviousness, Ohio patent lawyer Geoffrey L. Oberhaus strives to make
his blog fit all three. In a thoughtful and self-effacing style, he
writes about patent law and practice � and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Greplaw, http://grep.law.harvard.edu. From Harvard's Berkman Center
for Internet Law and Technology, Greplaw follows recent developments in
IP and Internet law.
Guiding Rights Blog,
http://guidingrights.blogcollective.com/blog. An
IP lawyer in Chicago, Mark V.B. Partridge publishes this blog as an
extension of his 2003 book, Guiding Rights: Trademarks, Copyright and
the Internet. He posts frequently about IP news and legal developments.
INDUCE Act Blawg, http://techlawadvisor.com/induce. Three writers
contribute to this blog, devoted to tracking and commenting on the
Inducing Infringements of Copyright Act of 2004.
IP Litigation Blog, www.iplitigationblog.com. On Aug. 31, 2004,
Seattle, Wash., lawyer Philip Mann marked two achievements � he launched
this blog, and he launched his own firm, the Mann Law Group. It is
difficult to take the measure of a blog this new, but worth noting is
the blog's striking design, a product of Kevin O'Keefe's lexBlog,
www.lexblog.com.
IPTAblog, www.iptablog.org. Third-year law student Andrew Raff writes
with a focus on how computers and the Internet affect the practice and
substance of law, particularly within the areas of copyright, trademark
and privacy.
I/P Updates, http://ip-updates.blogspot.com. William F. Heinze, an IP
lawyer in Atlanta, where he is of counsel to the firm Thomas, Kayden,
Horstemeyer & Risley, provides news and information for IP
practitioners. He is a frequent and thoughtful writer who covers a range
of IP related matters.
The Invent Blog, www.inventblog.com. Stephen M. Nipper, a patent
attorney in Boise, Idaho, provides news and information about patents,
trademarks, copyrights and IP law in general. But of most interest are
his postings about unique and noteworthy inventions and inventors.
IP News Blog, www.ipnewsblog.com. Students and faculty at the Franklin
Pierce Law Center provide frequent reports on developments in U.S. and
international IP law.
IPKat, www.ipkat.com. Jeremy Phillips and Ilanah Simon are prominent
U.K. academics, editors and authors in the field of IP law. Their blog
looks at copyright, patent, trademark, branding and privacy law from a
mainly U.K. and European perspective.
Navigating the Patent Maze,
http://lorac.typepad.com/patent_blog.
Having spent part of her career spearheading development of an online IP
database, Carol Nottenburg, now a Seattle patent lawyer, brings to her
blog a unique focus on finding and using online patent data.
Nerd Law.org, www.nerdlaw.org. Kimberly Isbell, an IP associate with a
Washington, D.C., law firm and a former law-student affiliate of
Harvard's Berkman Center, blogs about what she describes as "law for
nerds at heart."
Patently Obvious, http://patentlaw.typepad.com. Dennis Crouch, a
patent attorney at the Chicago law firm McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert &
Berghoff, covers patent law with substantial depth and scope. His topics
range from new lawsuits to interesting inventions, but first goal is to
review every appellate opinion directly related to patent law, most
regulatory and legislative changes, and some district court opinions.
PHOSITA, www.okpatents.com/phosita. A group blog written by lawyers at
Dunlap, Codding & Rogers, Oklahoma City, Okla., its name comes from the
patent-law term for a mythical person of ordinary skill in the art to
whom an invention, in order to be patentable, must not be obvious. They
seek to write about IP news "that may be of interest to the PHOSITA in
each of us."
Promote the Progress, www.promotetheprogress.com. Maintained by J.
Matthew Buchanan, a lawyer in Perrysburg, Ohio, the blog focuses on
intellectual property and technology law issues.
TechLawyer, http://lawyerinparadise.typepad.com/techlawyer. With straw
hat, shades and Hawaiian shirt, this IP and technology lawyer from
Honolulu provides his thoughts on developments in law, business and
politics.
The Importance of �, www.corante.com/importance. Former president and
co-founder of Yale Law School's Law and Technology Society, and founder
of the technology law and policy news site LawMeme, Ernest Miller is a
fellow of Yale's Information Society Project, where he writes about IP,
Internet law and First Amendment issues.
The Intelprop.ca Blog, www.intelprop.ca/blog. Ontario lawyer Peter
Eliopoulos launched this blog about Canadian IP law in August 2004. He
covers news about Canadian intellectual property court decisions, the
Canadian Intellectual Property Office, the U.S.PTO and the Patent
Co-operation Treaty.
Trademark Blog, http://trademark.blog.us/blog. New York City lawyer
Martin Schwimmer provides news and commentary about U.S. and
international trademark and domain name issues. Former general counsel
to NameEngine Inc., a domain name services company, Schwimmer is vice
president of the Intellectual Property Constituency of ICANN.
Two-Seventy-One Patent Blog, http://271patent.blogspot.com. Peter Zura,
a patent attorney in Chicago, maintains this blog, devoted to "changing
the world of patents and IP one blog at a time."
Robert J. Ambrogi, rambrogi@legaline.com, a lawyer in Rockport, Mass.,
is author of the newly revised and expanded second edition of "The
Essential Guide to the Best (and Worst) Legal Sites on the Web," now
available at www.lawcatalog.com. His own blog, LawSites, can be found at
www.legaline.com/lawsites.html.
*Reprinted, with permission of the author, from LAW TECHNOLOGY NEWS, vol
11, no 10, October 2004.
THE IP LIBRARIANS� WEB FAVORITES
by Jennifer C. Groh and Clifford Hoffman
Morgan & Finnegan LLP, New York, NY
|
U.S. Library of
Congress
http://www.loc.gov
|
Offers links to the
Library of Congress catalog, the U.S. Copyright Office and
Thomas � Legislative history links.
|
|
U.S. Patent &
Trademark Office
http://www.uspto.gov
|
The official site of
the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Search for U.S.
patents and trademarks, patent and trademark status, and
other related information.
|
|
U.S. Government
Priinting Office
http://www.gpoaccess.gov
|
Provides links to
the Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations and many
other federal government sources.
|
|
World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO)
http://www.wipo.int
|
The official site of
the World Intellectual Property Organization. Provides
pressroom briefings, links to digital IP collections;
including international IP legislation.
|
|
Intellectual
Property Owner�s Association
http://www.ipo.org
|
Features �The IPO
Daily News,� a daily IP litigation news service, links to
Federal Circuit Opinion Summaries and texts, and more.
|
|
American
Intellectual Property Law
Association
http://www.aipla.org
|
Provides links to
current legislative activities, AIPLA comments and Amicus
Briefs.
|
|
Franklin Pierce Law
School
http://www.ipmall.fplc.edu
|
Arranged in topical
outline form, Franklin Pierce Law School�s IP Mall provides
links covering most every topic relating to IP law.
|
|
European Patent
Organization patent database
http://ep.espacenet.com
|
Search all the
patent applications published by any national office in the
EPO. Provides English abstracts for 30 million patents
worldwide, including Japan.
|
|
Law Library Resource
Xchange
http://www.llrx.com
|
A Web journal
�providing legal and library professionals with the most
up-to-date information on a wide range of Internet research
and technology-related issues, applications, resources and
tools.�
|
|
The Virtual Chase
http://www.virtualchase.com/
resources/ip.shtml
|
Provides links to
Intellectual Property law research resources on the
internet.
|