Monday, March 20, 2006

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP - United States - Trademarks on the Internet � Fair Play or Fair Game? (16/03/2006) from Mondaq

Here's a change of pace for you. This article presents a pretty good summary of the challenges of trademark law in the Internet age. Weigh in with your opinion.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

While patents can be very important in helping promote innovation by protecting a work product, they often end up stifling innovation instead. The patent system is a mess - I love Michael Crichton's op-ed in the NYT this past Sunday about the patent system. (I included some other NYT links concerning patents as well.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/19/opinion/19crichton.html?ei=5090&en=9acdb7fe498d2579&ex=1300424400&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

Patenting Air or Protecting Property?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A54548-2003Dec10?language=printer


Here's an article about the problems at the patent office:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0506.roth.html

The "Patent Epidemic" in Business Week:

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_02/b3966086.htm

Here's a NYT opinion:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/22/opinion/22wed1.html?ex=1300683600&en=90b684597ca2bd79&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Here's a news story about how overreaching patents are hurting health care:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/22/health/22breast.html?ex=1300683600&en=33a2513d72161048&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Here's a synopsis of both sides of the debate:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_patent_debate

Unknown said...

Despite the flood of new patents issued in the past 10 years, I have not yet seen any evidence that the percentage of bad patents is any higher. I do know that big corporations see lobbying and public relations as a far less expensive alternative than litigation.

Patents stifle innovation? Really? So if an inventor cannot get patent protection for his/her invention (and anyone can come along and copy it), what is the incentive for him or her to invent?

I don't get it.