Baseball Copyright Fanatics- A Case Study of the Phillie Phanatic

When you think about copyrights… you may not imagine that Benny The Bull, Bucky the Badger, or the Phillie Phanatic are relevant… but even these sports characters are subject to copyright law. Before diving into how copyright applies to mascots, it’s important to understand some basic principles of copyright law. What is a Copyright? Copyright is a type of intellectual property that protects original creative … Continue reading Baseball Copyright Fanatics- A Case Study of the Phillie Phanatic

Patent Wars on the Fairway: How Obviousness Plays a Role in Golf Patents

As a new golfer working tirelessly on my (sometimes inconsistent) swing, I discovered something about the sport that goes beyond fairways and putting greens. I discovered the enormous field of golf patents, where innovation meets fierce competition. From multi-layered golf balls to the aerodynamic secrets hidden in club faces, there’s an extraordinary number of patents in this industry—22,000 since 1976, to be precise! What surprised … Continue reading Patent Wars on the Fairway: How Obviousness Plays a Role in Golf Patents

From Engineering to Entrepreneurship: An Interview with Alisha Feustel

Alisha Feustel is a founding partner at Akona IP who focuses on all aspects of intellectual property law, especially patent prosecution (the writing, filing, and handling of patent applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office) and patent portfolio management (the strategic handling of one’s patent assets). She works closely with clients in a variety of technologies, including semiconductor device packaging, biomedical devices, computer memory and storage technologies, and many others.

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