Protecting Your Law Firm’s Hidden Treasures · trademark? §Assuming a trademark qualifies for...

ProtectingYourLawFirm’sHiddenTreasures:IntellectualPropertyAssetsyoudidn’tknowexisted

J.D.HOUVENER,

PATENT ATTORNEY ANDFOUNDEROF BOLD IP, PLLC

MAY24 , 2017

“LawFirmsareknownonlybytheirSurnames,andthosecan’tberegisteredtrademarks…”“Thereisnosenseinregisteringacopyrightforthingsyouwriteforthefirm,itputsyouataseriousriskforbreachingethicalrules”“…AttorneysdonotneedtoworryaboutIPbecauseitsonlyimportantforbusinesseswhodevelop/sellrealproductsandneedtoprotecttheirbrands.”“LawFirmsandtheirattorneyscan’tpatentanything,theywouldn’tqualify…”“Thereisnospecialsaucehereatthelawfirm,wesimplyserveourclientsthebestwecanwiththeresourceswearegiven”

First,SomeMyths…

SomeTruths…• Lawfirmislikeanyotherbusiness• SellingLegalServices• Goodwill/Reputation• CopyrightedWorks• Patents• TradeSecrets

TypesofIntellectualProperty

• Trademark• Copyright• TradeSecret• Patent

Whatisatrademark?15U.S.Code§ 1127

§Atrademarkisaword,symbol,orphrasethataccomplishestwothings:◦ 1.distinguishanindividual’s(orcompany’s)goods/servicesfromthegoods/servicesofothers

◦ 2.indicatethesourceofgoods/services

§Anapplicantforatrademarkregistrationmusthaveabonafideintentiontousethetrademarkincommerce(oralreadybeusingthemarkincommerce)

Whatis“useincommerce”asappliedtolawfirms(servicemarks)?15U.S.Code§ 1127

§Aservicemarkis“usedincommerce”when:(1)themarkisusedordisplayedinthesaleoradvertisingofservices,and(2)theservicesarerenderedincommerce

(aservicemarkisconsideredasub-setoftrademark)

Howdoyouacquirerightsinatrademark?§Assumingatrademarkqualifiesforprotection,rightstothetrademarkcanbeacquiredinoneoftwoways:

(1)bybeingthefirsttousethemarkincommerce;or(2)bybeingthefirsttoregisterthemarkwiththeUSPTO

Whatistrademarkinfringement?

15U.S.Code§ 1114Atrademarkisinfringedwhen:

◦ (1)someonewhoisnottheownerofthetrademarkuses(orintendstouse),withoutpermissionorauthorizationfromtheowner,areproduction/copy/colorableimitationofaregisteredtrademarkinconnectionwiththesale/distribution/advertisingofanygoods/services,and

◦ (2)thatunauthorizeduse(orintenttouse)islikelytocauseconfusionforconsumers

Whatisthestandardcourtsusefordeterminingtrademarkinfringement?

§ConsumerConfusion/LikelihoodofConfusionStandard

§Courtstypicallylookat7factors§ (1)thestrength ofthemark;§ (2)theproximity ofthegoods;§ (3)thesimilarity ofthemarks;§ (4)evidenceofactualconfusion;§ (5)thesimilarityofmarketingchannelsused;§ (6)thedegreeofcautionexercisedbythetypicalpurchaser;§ (7)thedefendant'sintent.

Howdotrademarksapplytolawfirms?• Lawfirmsprovidelegalservices!• Nolawfirmshouldbethesameasanother,showoffyourdistinctiveness!• ProtectDifferentServiceOfferings:• Example:BoldPatents,BoldVentures,andBoldInnovationsarebothpendingapplications

• ProtectGoodsOfferings:• Example:“LawFirmInaBox”,proprietarysoftwareorpracticemanagementsuite

Microsoft Word Document

Whatisacopyright?17U.S.Code

ACopyrightistherightofanauthor/creatortocontroltheuseanddistributionofhis/herworkforalimitedperiodoftime.

Whatcanbecopyrighted?17U.S.Code§ 102

§Onlyanoriginalworkofauthorshipwhichisfixedinatangiblemediumofexpressioncanreceiveacopyright.

§Youcannotcopyrightanidea.However,onceanideaiswrittendown,recorded,orotherwisetransferredintophysicalform,thatresulting“workofauthorship”is“fixed”andthereforeligibleforcopyrightprotection.

Whatdoestheownerofacopyrighthavetheexclusiverighttodo?

17U.S.Code§ 106§Theownerofacopyrighthastheexclusiverightto§ reproduce§ perform§ display(publicly)and/or§ preparederivativeworksbasedonhis/heroriginalworkofauthorship(orauthorizeotherstodoso)

Whendoescopyrightprotectionbeginandhowlongdoesitlast?

17U.S.Code§ 302

• Copyrightprotectionbeginswhentheoriginalworkofauthorshipiscreatedandfixedinatangibleform

• Copyrightprotectionlastsuntil70yearsaftertheauthor’sdeath(ifauthorisnamed),95yearsfromtheyearoftheworks’creation(ifworkisanonymous),and120yearsfromthework’screation(iftheworkisdoneforhire)

Howdocopyrightsapplytolawfirms?• Manyofthedocumentsthatattorneysprepareinthecourseoftheirlegalpracticecanbeconsidered“originalworksofauthorship”whichareabsolutelyeligibleforcopyrightprotection

• Someexamplesofcopyrightablematerialsoftenusedbylawfirmsorpreparedbyafirm’sattorneysare:

(1)thewrittencodefordiscoverysoftwaredevelopedin-house,and

(2)legaldocumentswhichareuniquetothefirm(i.e.notindustrystandardorcomprisedofboilerplatelanguage)

Microsoft Word Document

WhatisaTradeSecret?18U.S.Code§ 1839

§Atradesecretisanyconfidentialbusinessinformation,notgenerallyknownbythepublic,whichhaseconomicvaluetothebusinessorentity,andwhichthebusinessorentityhastakenreasonablestepstokeepsecret

Whenisanother’suseofanentity’stradesecretactionable?

UTSA§ 1

§Ifacourtdeterminesthattheinformationqualifiesasatradesecret,thecourtcanprohibitanotherpartyfromusingthetradesecretif:◦Obtainedtheinformationthroughimpropermeans,or◦Obtainedtheinformationthroughmisappropriation

Howdotradesecretsapplytolawfirms?• Alawfirmisabusiness.Justlikemanyotherbusinesses,lawfirmsoftenpossessinformationthatisnotpubliclyorwidelyknownandfromwhichthefirmderiveseconomicbenefit.

• Someexamplesofthetypesofinformationlawfirmsmaypossesswhichcanbeconsideredtradesecretsare:

(1)advertisingstrategies/processestoattract/retainclients,(2)listsofcurrentclients,(3)in-housedevelopeddiscoverysoftwareforwhichno

patenthasyetbeenfiled

Microsoft Word Document

Whatisapatent?•ApatentisacontractbetweenaninventorandtheU.S.governmentgranting(foralimitedtime)theinventorthesolerighttoexcludeothersfrommaking,using,orsellingtheinventioninexchangeforpublicdisclosureoftheinvention

Whatispatentable?35U.S.Code§ 102§Aninventionispatentableifitisdifferentfromallpreviousinventionsthatwerepublicknowledgepriortothefilingdate(itisnovel)

35U.S.Code§ 103§Aninventionispatentableif,whentheinventioniscomparedtoallpreviousinventions,adeterminationismadethatapersonhavingordinaryskillintheartwouldnothavethoughttocreatetheinvention(itisnon-obvious)

§Tobepatentabletheinventionmustalsobepatentablesubjectmatter,andbeuseful,butbothoftheserequirementsareeasiertosatisfythannoveltyandnon-obviousness

Whatmustbeincludedinapatentapplication?

35U.S.Code§ 111§Apatentmustinclude:

(1)awrittendescriptionoftheinvention,andofthemannerandprocessofmakingusingit,andconcludewithclaimswhichidentifythesubjectmatterwhichtheinventorregardsastheinvention,

(2)drawingsoftheinvention,and

(3)thenameoftheinventor(s)

Howdopatentsapplytolawfirms?• Lawfirmsutilizetechnologyandvariousbusinessprocesseswhenprovidinglegaladvisetoclients.• Someexamplesofthingsthatlawfirmscouldpotentiallyobtainpatentsforare:

(1)discoverysoftware(2)methodsorprocessesofconductingclientintakeordiscovery(oranyothernecessaryelementsofalegalpractice)

Microsoft Word 97 - 2004 Document

Thankyou!

©2017BoldIP,PLLC,AllRightsReserved

Speaker’sInformation:

J.D.Houvener,MBA,PE,Esq.jd@boldip.com360-931-2717(cell)800-849-1913(office)

PublishingFall,2017–Pre-OrderToday!

FREECopiesavailableatwww.boldip.com

Questions?

Q&A

Q:Whyaretrademarksimportantforlawfirms?

Q:Whatprerequisitesmustamarksatisfytoserveasatrademark?

Q&AQ:Doesanoriginalworkofauthorshipneedtoberegisteredtoreceivecopyrightprotection?

Q:Whatisa“derivativework?”

Q&AQ:Whatisa“workmadeforhire?”

Q:Whatconstitutes“impropermeans”forobtainingatradesecret?

Q&A

Q:Whatconstitutes“misappropriation”forobtainingatradesecret?

Q&AQ:Whatsteps(ataminimum)mustalawfirmtaketoprotecttradesecrets?

Q:Whatispatentablesubjectmatter?

Q&AQ:Whenisaninventionconsidered“useful”forpurposesofdeterminingpatentability?

Q:Howlongarepatentsvalid(i.e.howlongdoespatentprotectionlast)?

Q:Whenisaninventionconsidered“publicknowledge?”