Did you know that IP supports economic growth? According to an April 2012 report released by the U.S. Commerce Department, industries dealing heavily with intellectual property (IP) support 40 million jobs. In fact, IP contributes about 35 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP)—that’s about $5 trillion dollars! Why is this good news? While […]
Between Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, there is one shopping holiday that you wouldn’t want to miss. Small Business Saturday, like the name suggests, is an American shopping holiday dedicated to supporting local shops (the “mom and pop shops”). Americans celebrated their first Small Business Saturday on November 27, 2010. In fact, American Express, […]
Apple recently filed a patent application for a sleek new computer keyboard. The invention will feature a smooth surface, which will serve as the user interface. But, do you notice something missing here? There are no keys. The keyboard contains no mechanical keys or moving parts. LED lighting will illuminate a keyboard-like grid under the surface. This configuration could also be […]
Click logo to listen to this episode Blog Talk Radio’s “Business Talk” show co-host, Jo-Anne Yau, presented “Protecting your Invention with Patents – Part II.” Ms. Yau continued our general discussion of patents and turned her focus on specifics, concerning patent licensing and product development. In a sense, patents are an inventor’s recipe on how to […]
Click logo to listen to this episode Blog Talk Radio’s “Business Talk” show co-host, patent attorney Jo-Anne Yau, presented, “Protecting Your Invention – an Introduction to Patent Law.” Ms. Yau discussed protecting your inventions with Patents. This is a two part series with this episode covering an introduction to patents, how they work, what’s protected and […]
Blogs aren’t just for reading anymore. Starting June 3, Kerry Heaps and Jo-Anne Yau will co-host Blog Talk Radio’s “Business Talk Radio” show. The hour-long shows will address a number of business-related topics, such as patents, franchising, licensing, litigation, and contracts. It airs every other Friday, 10-11am EST. The inaugural show is dedicated to trademark law. Ms. […]
It’s the ultimate clash of the titans. In a dispute over the Google Wallet payment service allegedly infringing on the trade secrets of eBay’s PayPal service, the May 27, 2011 lawsuit was filed. The claims revolved around former eBay executives, Osama Bedier and Stephanie Tilenius revealing proprietary information to Google. The events leading up to the […]
Jo-Anne Yau has an article published on page 19 of the latest issue of Entrepreneur’s Anchor magazine. The article is a guide for business owners to distinguish between their trademarks, copyrights, and patents, and how to protect each of them. The success of a business depends on its uniqueness and innovation. As an Intellectual Property and Franchising […]
As an attorney who protects trademarks and advises businesses every day, I am always fascinated with ideas that become the next big thing. I thought I’d share with you a few of my most recent favorites. Have you ever heard of Fatheadz? I haven’t either, until I read about fat-headed Rico Elmore designing a line […]
After the long process of getting your invention patented, you will find that your journey has only just begun. Finding a company to manufacture, package, and market the product will be the next big hurdle of your adventure. In an effort to reach out to inventors, large companies such as Staples, Inc., Clorox, Co., and General […]
