In the U.S., an inventor has 12 months from the date he or she first publicly discloses their idea or invention to file a U.S. patent application.  A public disclosure refers to a communication of an idea or invention without any confidentiality obligations, either written or oral.  Just a few examples of public disclosures include publications, presentations, trade shows, patent or trademark appli...

You know those tediously long agreements linked at the bottom of websites that no one really reads? Well Guess What?! – Those agreements are extremely important! Any legally sound website should have both a Terms of Use and a Privacy Policy (collectively “Website Agreements”) to protect the website owner from liability stemming from use of the website. Privacy Policies are designed to put web...

You need to change jobs but you have a non-compete provision in your employment agreement.  Now what? Don't assume the non-compete is valid.  The validity of a non-compete agreement depends on many factors including which state's laws apply to the agreement because non-compete law varies greatly among states.  If the applicable state law suggests the state will enforce a non-compete agreement hop...

Sometimes trademark infringement can feel like a David versus Goliath, with Goliath a trademark infringement Plaintiff and Defendant seemingly with everything to lose.  The trademark infringement attorney you retain will making a lot of decisions quickly, trying to stay within your attorney fee budget. The Lanham Act §1117(a) allows recovery of a reasonable attorney’s fee only on evidence...

As copyright infringement lawsuits gain more prevalence within the modern music industry, the inquisitorial wafts about whether such actions stifle creativity have become increasingly putrid.  The widely controversial and publicized “Blurred Lines” copyright infringement lawsuit rendered damages of $7 million against Robin Thicke and Pharrell for infringing Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up....

You want to know whether your non-compete will prevent you from taking your next job.  The first question that needs to be answered is which state law applies to your non-compete agreement.  There as some states that do not enforce non-compete agreements in most case and other states that routinely enforce non-compete agreements.  Additionally, the state in which you are employed may not be the ap...

The FAA Part 107 Airspace Debacle When the FAA implemented the Part 107 UAS regulations on August 29, 2016, drone pilots and operators were pretty excited. As a drone lawyer advising hundreds of UAV clients, I already knew there was a weasel in the wood stack. The FAA had already indicated that it would only gradually open up controlled airspace (Class B, C, D and E).  This would mean that part 10...

We all know someone who has been the subject of internet defamation.  We receive inquiries daily about what can be done to correct a false statement made about someone on the internet.  Increasingly, there a significant number of businesses who are falling victim to internet defamation.  Businesses who are the subject of false and defamatory statements online or otherwise may have a distinct and...