Sparring in Federal Court: The Competitive Spirit of Patent Litigation

I still remember my first sparring match vividly. It was a 3-minute practice combat session in my childhood martial arts class. I practiced techniques, learned the rules, and prepared myself for controlled combat with a partner. I instantly fell in love with the competitive spirit of sparring. Recently, I was reminded of that spirit when I discovered patent litigation as a law clerk.

Continue reading “Sparring in Federal Court: The Competitive Spirit of Patent Litigation”

Cash Rules Everything in IP

Like many other engineering graduates in the state of Michigan, I started my engineering career in the automotive industry. Lucky for me, I landed a pretty fun job in vehicle safety. The crash lab located in the space behind my office ran full speed crash tests on a daily basis. However, I spent most of my day behind a computer analyzing vehicle structures for crashworthiness.
Continue reading “Cash Rules Everything in IP”

Mariah Carey: No Longer The Queen of Christmas According to Trademark Experts

By the time November 1st rolls around each year, I often expect to hear “All I Want For Christmas Is You” when I turn on the radio. Mariah Carey is America’s Christmas ‘It-girl.’ According to Vulture magazine, as of Christmas 2022, Mariah’s song was the longest-running holiday Number 1 song of all time. Her song, which was released in 1994, has garnered so much recognition … Continue reading Mariah Carey: No Longer The Queen of Christmas According to Trademark Experts

CHAT GPT – Should we have a chat about IP’s role?

What is ChatGPT and how does it work?

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) computer program developed by the San Francisco based company,OpenAI. ChatGPT works by taking a natural language input, which is an input of human language as it is spoken and written, from a user and then producing a natural language output. Essentially, ChatGPT works like a search engine (Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc.). However, instead of returning a list of websites, ChatGPT returns exactly what you ask it to in a conversational format. As a result, ChatGPT enables a user to receive direct responses to their questions. ChatGPT has received substantial media coverage for its easy-to-use interface and extensive capabilities. By simply asking ChatGPT to do so, a user can receive a literary work such as an essay, or an article created by the program. Continue reading “CHAT GPT – Should we have a chat about IP’s role?”

Trouble in Vermont: A Case Study on Artists Moral Rights

The New York Times recently reported a story about Vermont Law School and a mural on their campus that gave rise to a copyright dispute.  The mural, painted by a white man, depicts slavery and the evils around it.  Many who have seen the mural objected to how African Americans were depicted.  Indeed, they found that the depictions were racist caricatures of black people.

Continue reading “Trouble in Vermont: A Case Study on Artists Moral Rights”

What’s Mine is Yours?

What’s Mine is Yours?

When I was younger, my dad told me that he worked on “artificial intelligence” after graduating college. I thought this was the coolest job ever. What if my dad was part of the team that made a self-aware AI like in the movies? He told me that AI didn’t really work that way. In fact, he worked on a smaller piece of AI technology dealing with sorting data based on algorithms. I didn’t really understand what he meant at the time, but it still seemed pretty neat. Continue reading “What’s Mine is Yours?”

Jazz Musician Turned into a Tattoo: Miles Davis Photographer’s Suit against Tattoo artist Kat Von D for Copyright Infringement

The tattoo industry has largely avoided cases of copyright infringement or other types of intellectual property suits based on an artist’s work. This may change as Jeffrey Sedlik, a well-known photographer, who photographed the prolific and well known jazz musician Miles Davis, is suing tattoo artist Kat Von D. for using his photograph to produce a tattoo for a colleague. Continue reading “Jazz Musician Turned into a Tattoo: Miles Davis Photographer’s Suit against Tattoo artist Kat Von D for Copyright Infringement”

An Ode to the Scientifically Challenged: Fear Not IP

An Accidental Run in with IP

Just a few years ago, I knew nothing about the legal profession, much less Intellectual Property’s role in the field as the sector certifying legal rights to patents, trademarks and copyrights. That all changed May of 2020, when my internship working in DC fell through due to Covid. I was panicking about the potential gap in my resume and at a complete loss as to what to do with myself going forward. But I was also absurdly relieved.

Continue reading “An Ode to the Scientifically Challenged: Fear Not IP”

“Linking” Nintendo’s Gaming Innovations to Software Patent Subject Matter Eligibility

The Legend of Zelda is a Nintendo video game series centered around protagonist Link. One of the newer installments of the series, Breath of the Wild, has won several awards in the gaming industry. But, what in the world does the Legend of Zelda have to do with patent law?

Continue reading ““Linking” Nintendo’s Gaming Innovations to Software Patent Subject Matter Eligibility”