Intellectual Property Law

FireWire -- also known as IEEE 1394 after the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers standard with which it is associated -- is a high-speed interconnect technology for computers developed…

Companies often use metal floor grids as a flooring option because it is low-maintenance, durable, and helps prevent slips and falls. When used at the entrance of a building, metal floor grid…

A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design that identifies a product or service in the marketplace. For example, consumers identify the trademarked name, "Nike," by its name and symbol;…

In most contexts, a royalty is a percentage of a product's sales that goes toward the creator of the product. In the book industry, for example, the author will receive a royalty in the form of a…

Cydia is an application available to any iPhone that has been jailbroken and lists thousands of apps that are not available from the Apple App Store. It is famous for hosting apps that allow you to do…

A corporation incurs intangible costs when it purchases a license agreement from another firm. These costs are usually capitalized and amortized over a set period of time. A corporation may incur…

"Moshi Monsters" is an online social networking game for kids, although a person can be any age to join. Mind Candy, the makers of the game, intend the website to be free of swearing,…

An incorporated business may own a number of different types of assets, including overriding royalty interests in oil, gas or minerals. The income derived from all assets owned by a company is shared…

It's very exciting to come up with a new trademark for your business. You want to attach this word, phrase, symbol or design to your product as soon as possible, but you need to use caution before…

Seagrasses are essential to the health and viability of aquatic ecosystems. Seagrasses release essential oxygen, remove impurities and provide a safe place for fish and other aquatic life to lay their…

Apple Inc. owns more than 200 trademarks for its products and services, from AirDrop to Xserve. This includes trademarks for the company's ubiquitous "i" products, including the iPad, iPod,…

Patents are rights to certain intellectual properties. Patents ensure that no one besides their owners can produce, use or sell the patented items. Patentees are responsible for maintaining their…

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) was signed in Washington in June 1970. This particular treaty states that members who have signed it have the ability to file a single patent in their home country,…

A patent is a legal intellectual property right for which inventors can apply through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). A patent protects an inventor and his invention from…

The boombox, a self-contained, portable stereo system that usually included an AM/FM radio, dual cassette players and, in later incarnations, a CD player, changed the way in which people thought about…

The patented Ultramet capacitor is a universal replacement run capacitor manufactured by AmRad Engineering, a subsidiary of American Radionic Corporation. This oil-filled, motor capacitor, which…

The word "plagiarism" comes from the Latin "plagium," which means "kidnapping." Plagiarism is a widely misunderstood concept, and yet its consequences are dire. A charge…

The Internal Revenue Service uses Form 1099 to track income from sources other than wages or salaries. If you are an independent contractor, you may receive Form 1099 reflecting your income from a…

Breaking in a pair of squeaky patent heels is essential for a top-notch professional appearance. Squeaky shoes cause unwanted distractions in professional atmospheres; they also are indicative of…

1099-MISC royalty payments you receive during the year must be reported to the IRS using one of two schedules, depending on the activity that generated the royalties. Some royalties are subject to…

Getting a patent can protect any revenue you make from your ideas, but the process can also be time-consuming. To keep patents valid, most governments require patent holders to pay regular fees like…

A product with a patent can be marketed or sold through a licensing agreement or a franchise agreement. With a license agreement, the patent holder enters into an agreement and charges a fee(s) to…

Each year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) receives thousands of patent applications. Patenting your product can protect it from others who might want to profit from your work, and lets…

CIMPLICITY HMI is software designed to help factory operators better manage their production lines. The software takes the data received from mechanical devices and sensors throughout the factory and…

Puffed rice can be found in breakfast cereals, rice cakes and snack food. It's also used in Chinese, Korean and Indian dishes. Puffing rice is similar to popping corn except that rice does not have…

A DVD pirate is anyone who illegal makes a copy of a DVD in an attempt to profit from it, and the punishments attached for doing such are harsh. Laws have been created to protect the legal owner of…

Financial officers at non-governmental organizations are responsible for managing all financial process of an organization including budgeting, investments, donations, cash flow management and…

Apple is a multinational computer, electronics and software development company renowned for products such as the iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. With one in five pieces of software in the…

Plagiarism is copying or borrowing another person's work without giving due credit. Whether or not a work is copyrighted, a writer cannot borrow language or ideas from a work and pass it off as his…

Although you can establish rights over a trademark through its use in commerce, registering your intellectual property and branding on the principal trademark register offers a greater degree of…

Licensors give rights to use a venue, arena or stadium to licensees by using an event licensing agreement (also known as a use agreement). Event sites include many different types of properties, from…

It is not unusual for two or more inventors to develop a product at more or less the same time. This can lead to arguments about who invented the product first. A lot of money may be involved if, for…

Workers who earn wages or salaries pay income taxes to the federal government by having an employer withhold a portion of their pay to cover their tax liability. The Internal Revenue Service imposes…

As a business owner, you may decide to help brand your company with a trademark. A trademark is a picture or words that have been registered to represent a product or company. In the course of running…

Trademark logos are often images and/or slogans used to represent a business or organization. There are millions of trademark logos registered around the world. But, it's often difficult to know…

With the spectacular growth of the Internet in recent decades, the private information of governments, businesses and individuals has never been more at risk. Professional and amateur hackers alike…

Most people are likely to need an attorney at some point. Just as different kinds of cases exist, different ways for an attorney to be paid exist. A case is contingent if payment is based on a…

Copyright law can be dense and difficult to understand. There are many rules and restrictions that average citizens may not understand. Common Licensing is a movement for a less restrictive copyright…

Copyright law protects the creator of original material that have been fixed in a medium of expression, such as a record, disc or piece of software. The Internet offers many opportunities for users to…

Fences serve a purpose. They may contain livestock, provide backyard privacy or mark property lines. Although you may yearn to open up your property by removing fences, being aware of the logical…

According to the New York State Unified Court System an affirmation is "A solemn and formal declaration under penalties of perjury that a statement is true, without an oath." A statement of…

To transfer land from state tenure to federal in Arizona, it is important to follow the guidelines outlined under federal land acquisition laws. Prevailing land ownership rights are transferable to…

A trademark is a "word, phrase, symbol or design or a combination thereof, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others," according to the U.S. Patent…

The Internet has made it easier than ever to obtain and share pirated material such as videos, games and software. Piracy on the Internet is any activity that results in the illegal sharing of…

Software piracy is illegal under the intellectual property laws of the United States because piracy means you are stealing the property belonging to another person. Software is a valuable property…

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 defines the difference between permissible and illegal downloads of software, documents, audio files, movies and other protected works. The essence of the…

A trademark is a legally-recognized word, phrase, symbol or other identifier for a product or service in commerce. Trademarks are a form of intellectual property, and only the owner of the trademark…

Patent attorneys act as defensive and offensive weapons for companies with intellectual property. Some businesses work for decades to create and refine their inventions. Patent lawyers help obtain…

The music business has an ever-evolving set of rules when it comes to the sale, duplication, reproduction and sharing of songs and albums. Trying to make sense of when something is legal is confusing,…

Patent infringement cases can be expensive to litigate, and very expensive to lose. They can also cast a wide net. For example, the 2010 infringement suit brought by Canon against Ninestar for…