Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) – IP Presentation – May 9, 2017

Had the pleasure of presenting on IP topics for a young group of entrepreneurs in Richland County this past week, at the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!).

YEA! is a year-long program that teaches students in grades 6-12 how to start and run their own, REAL businesses. Students brainstorm business ideas, decide if they want to work by themselves or as a team, write a business plan, pitch their plan to investors for funding, and actually launch their own business or social movement. All of the learning is real and experiential. Students leave the class as business owners, complete with a DBA and bank account!

To find out more about this great program, see http://www.richlandareachamber.com/yea.

Recording of CAFC Oral Arguments for Richard A. Williamson v. Citrix Online, LLC (2017-03-06)

Via the 717 Madison Place blog, with full recording of the oral arguments found here.  Interesting comments from Judge Moore at 5:00-5:30, and 15:10-15:20 of the recording.

Can it be reasonably argued that the “general purpose computer” under 101 jurisprudence is a myth?  Doesn’t every computer become a specialized machine upon being programmed differently?

 

“The Band Who Must Not Be Named” – The Slants

Attorney AJ Wenn of Ward Law Office had the distinct pleasure of meeting The Slants yesterday evening, at an event hosted by the Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association (CIPLA).

The Slants are an Asian American band involved in the recent Supreme court case of Lee v. Tam. In this case, Simon Tam sought to register a trademark on his band name “The Slants.” The USPTO refused after finding that the mark is disparaging toward individuals of Asian ancestry. The case may determine the constitutionality of Section 52(a) of the Lanham Act, which prevents the federal registration of “disparaging” trademarks.

Congratulations to CIPLA for hosting an exciting and informational event!