Protecting Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property Theft Damages American Innovation and Competitiveness

The intellectual property (IP) generated by U.S. companies is critical to America's prosperity and leadership in the global economy. IP makes up more than half of all U.S. exports, driving 40% of the country's growth (U.S. Department of Commerce). 

IP theft costs the U.S. economy $250 billion per year (FBI) and has resulted in the loss of 750,000 jobs (U.S. Customs and Border Protection).

Entrepreneurs devote time, money, and sweat into creating the next must-have technologies. We need to encourage this innovation and protect it so that entrepreneurs know that they will enjoy the economic benefits of their creations in the free market.

The IP of innovative industries is increasingly under assault around the globe as governments and non-governmental organizations aggressively seek to erode patent, trademark, and copyright protections.

Protecting IP benefits consumers, supports health and safety standards, attracts investment, and creates jobs while expanding access to technology and medicines.

Sep 3, 2010 Feds (The Wisconsin State Journal) Payments went to accounts controlled by the defendants. A second such source reported ordering prescription pain-killers oxycodone and hydrocodone, and generic versions of the male erectile disfunction medication Viagra. Law enforcement officials intercepted shipments and found thousands of...    more...  

Sep 2, 2010 Lilly gets win with ruling on Evista (The Indianapolis Star) The appeals court also affirmed a prior court ruling that held Evista's particle-size patents invalid. If Lilly had won that patent dispute, it could have maintained patent exclusivity through 2017, said company spokesman Mark Taylor. In July, a federal appeals court ruled against a method-of-use...    more...  

Aug 30, 2010 Tampa Bay area personnel appointments, promotions and announcements (St. Petersburg Times) Knopik is founding member of Knopik Deskins Law Group, Tampa. Vincent Marchetti has joined Greenberg Traurig, PA, Tampa, as a shareholder in the Environmental and Governmental Affairs Practice groups. Towzey is a sole practitioner at the Office of Phyllis J. Towzey, St. Towzey specializes in...    more...  

Aug 30, 2010 Washington tries to lure China investors (The Seattle Times) It has more than $2 trillion in foreign reserves and, as Japan did in the 1980s, China is shopping for investment opportunities abroad. The bitterness of that rejection lingers among Chinese investors. Gregoire wants to show that Washington state is more welcoming.    more...  

Aug 28, 2010 Paul Allen goes after tech biggies in lawsuit on patents (The Seattle Times) The group operated in Palo Alto, Calif., growing to more than 100 researchers, until it was shuttered in 2000. It's clear that these patents cover a variety of key processes in search and e-commerce. We intend to defend ourselves vigorously." Patent suits common Patent suits have become common...    more...  

Aug 27, 2010 Paul Allen's Firm Sues 11 Companies (New York Times) Allen and led by David E. Liddle, a former research scientist at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center in the 1970s. The research firm, he said, produced nearly 300 patents. Interval had held talks with the companies, Mr.    more...  

Aug 26, 2010 Despite FSU objection, Bradenton school wants to keep Seminole logo (Tampa Tribune) The office manages the school's intellectual property rights and protects and promotes its image. Southeast graduate Peter Warrick is about to enter FSU's Athletics Hall of Fame.    more...  

Aug 26, 2010 Student appeals award of $67,500 (The Boston Globe) The laws required that jurors award at least $750 for each infringement. Records Inc., Arista Records LLC, and UMG Recordings Inc.    more...  

Aug 24, 2010 Is Apple working on a 'desktop iPad?' (CNN) The patent also outlines how Apple would switch from the iMac's current operating system, OS X, to iOS -- the system that runs the iPad and iPhones, according to the blog. While images suggesting the possibility of touchscreen desktop and laptop computers from Apple had surfaced months ago,...    more...  

Aug 24, 2010 ECI awards funds to alternative-energy projects (The Philadelphia Inquirer) ...alternative energy such as solar and wind. In each case, the projects are a collaborative effort encouraged by ECI -- either among universities or between university researchers and private companies. With these joint ventures, intellectual property and expertise is pooled to promote energy...    more...  

Aug 24, 2010 Luxury leather-maker Coach sues East Side market over fake purses (The Columbus Dispatch) At least 50 fakes were in plain view. Investigators bought a pair of shoes, a tote, a purse and a wallet and concluded that each, although labeled Coach, was counterfeit. In 2009, Coach sued 19 Columbus vendors for selling counterfeit products. Charges against 15 vendors were dropped. The court...    more...  

Aug 22, 2010 Policies and procedures help guard trade secrets (The Blade) Those who do reveal trade secrets could face theft charges, he said. Confidentiality agreements are the first step toward guarding trade secrets, Mr.    more...  

Aug 21, 2010 Common as Air - By Lewis Hyde (New York Times) Hyde builds his argument by telling stories, and he tells them well. Jefferson wondered whether copyright ought to exist at all. Hyde praises projects like General Public Licenses, which channel intellectual property into the public domain, and the Distributed Annotation System, which prevents...    more...