Google’s April Fools’ Day Switcheroo to Topeka Brand Name

Google takes the prize for one of the best April Fools’ Day pranks of 2010.  If you haven’t heard, be sure to visit www.google.com before the days end.  Also, check out The Official Google Blog for more information about their “new” company name, Topeka.  The best part of the Google blog post is at the bottom.  Google notes that branded products can achieve such popularity that they can sometimes become generic (much like aspirin, cellophane and trampoline).  To be sure that Google’s new name is not subject to genericism, Google provides tips on how to use their new name. 

Kudos to Google for a great April Fools’ Day prank! 

Also thank you to Owen Smigelski (a fellow member of the International Trademark Association (INTA)) e-mail list, who pointed me to the Google blog post.

Posted by Emily E. Campbell, April 1, 2010 at 10:37 am
Permalink: Google’s April Fools’ Day Switcheroo to Topeka Brand Name
1 Comment

Thank You – You Know Who You Are

I had a really nice voicemail last week about PHOSITA and FedCirc.us – thank you so much for the encouragement and support.

I would really enjoy speaking with you about these projects – but you didn’t leave me a phone number where I could call you back.  So… you know who you are – drop me an email and let me know how I can contact you.

Yes, this does seem extremely mysterious and all… so, if it doesn’t make any sense to you – simply ignore and head over to FedCirc.us for some enlightenment (how is that for a shameless plug?)

Posted by Douglas Sorocco, January 29, 2007 at 9:39 am
Permalink: Thank You – You Know Who You Are
2 Comments

New Law Jobs posted at LegalMojo

Recent law jobs at LegalMojo  :

• Patent Attorney – INTELLECTUAL LAW GROUP Bellevue, Washington Patent
• Prosecution Associates – FENWICK & WEST Mountain View, CA
• Patent Prosecution Associate or Agent – VISTA IP LAW GROUP Saratoga, California
• Patent Attorney – LONDON London, England
• Corporate Associate – GALILEO GROUP Washington, DC
• IP Counsel - PROCTER & GAMBLE Cincinnati, OH
• Intellectual Property Law and Policy Counsel – IPO Washington, D.C,

Posted by Douglas Sorocco, November 30, 2006 at 5:45 pm
Permalink: New Law Jobs posted at LegalMojo
1 Comment

Inventor article : snarky or inspiring?

An uplifting inventor article? 

Well, the Northwest Indiana News has an interesting way to lead into a story:

Herbert Bigelow has an invention. So what. He also has a patent pending. Big deal.

And I thought PHOSITA could get a bit snarky from time to time.

Posted by Douglas Sorocco, November 4, 2006 at 8:05 pm
Permalink: Inventor article : snarky or inspiring?
No Comments

A Patent Application or a Soapbox?

Wow… wow…. all I can say is … wow.

U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0161257 has this little nugget in it as claim number 9.

I applaud whoever drafted the application for their sense of spunk, but you really have to wonder…. what were they thinking?

Personally, if there was an oath/declaration signed by the inventor (also — PDF version) and filed in the application stating that the inventor had read and understood the application to accurately reflect their invention - I would be worried that claim 9 could cause some problems down the line.

Once again… wow… all I can say is … wow.

Posted by Douglas Sorocco, November 1, 2006 at 2:11 pm
Permalink: A Patent Application or a Soapbox?
2 Comments