Author Archives: mwillee

This is a guest blog by Bao Tran, Patent Attorney with Tran & Associates and Founder of PowerPatent which produces the ProvisionalBuilder® patent workflow software. The change from First to Invent to First Inventor to File under the America Invents Act (AIA) has significant implications for inventors who are not prepared. Under the new regime,Continue reading “How to Protect Your Invention without Breaking the Piggy Bank”

Architectural design is protected by copyright law. But we have mentioned before that taking photographs of public buildings are completely legal (as long as you are taking photographs in a public space it’s all fair game). No one will come slap you with copyright infringement if you publish a photograph of yourself in front ofContinue reading “Beware of Copyright Infringement when Photographing the Eiffel Tower”

“Maturing,” “emerging,” and “vibrant” are the commonly used words used to describe the Los Angeles (LA) tech ecosystem. Every night is full of multiple events across the city where LA’s tech community comes together to share about the entrepreneurial journey and offer their experiences to one another.  The two events in the last few weeksContinue reading “We Are LA Tech at General Assembly”

Our nation’s universities are on the forefront of research and innovation. Brimming with clever, inquisitive minds and endowed with support from generous alumni, college researchers and academics are able to make advances in science, medicine, and even the paranormal. Personally, I don’t recall my own college years being filled with an abundance of good ideas,Continue reading “Your Wireless Carrier is Indebted to a U of M Professor’s Innovation”

Two weeks ago, the Traklight on Forbes series shared an interview with Unified Patents and what they’re doing to stop Non-Practicing Entities from hurting your business. Check back every Thursday for more Forbes content. Thanks for reading! We’ve all had a time or two, some more than others, when we’ve thought of an amazing idea but just didn’tContinue reading “Forbes Update: Tips for Nontrepreneursâ„¢”

Late October saw some exciting activity in the crowdfunding industry, but federal equity crowdfunding is still not possible. As we head into the final two months of 2014, the industry seems to be growing weary of waiting for the SEC to produce final rules. That is not to say that anyone is giving up onContinue reading “Crowdfunding Update: Equity Crowdfunding Is Still In A Holding Pattern”

If you grew up in the United States, you probably learned in school that the founding fathers were always wealthy property owners. Many of them were wealthy because of inherited land property and all that comes with it, but many were also wealthy because they started businesses and succeeded.

Facing increasing disapproval from international bodies as well as other countries, China has finally decided to take action to show the world that it is indeed willing to protect intellectual property (IP) rights. China is all set to open a specialized court to deal entirely with IP issues in Beijing within the month. It alsoContinue reading “Specialized Intellectual Property Courts to be Established in China”

The world of music is teeming with creative individuals with heads full of new ideas. But given the number of artists out there, it seems inevitable that accusations of copying from one another will occur from time to time. Many modern classics are built upon prior works, rightly or wrongly; Rick James’ “Superfreak” gave usContinue reading “What’s Going On Between Thicke and Gaye? | Copyright Infringement Case”

 *This Forbes update will be postponed. Check back later for the updated link or follow Mary on Forbes to be notified of her newest posts. Sorry for any inconvenience!*  Last week’s Traklight on Forbes series shared an interview with Unified Patents and what they’re doing to stop Non-Practicing Entities from hurting your business. Check back every Thursday forContinue reading “Forbes Update: Equity Crowdfunding Still in a Holding Pattern”