hooray, hooray, it's the first week of May...

[kaylarudbek]

Good: more invention disclosures in. I will experiment on the engineers to see whether I get more disclosures by offering chocolate candy or with Smarties and Starburst. So far I am not certain. I should probably get a gumball machine, the more Rube Goldberg-esque the better (as long as it does not break down)...

Annoying: people who do not follow Attorney Rudbek's Rules of Trademark Usage.
Rule 1: Don't misuse your competitors' trademarks. (caveat is that federal judges don't understand metatags)
Rule 2: Don't mess with a famous mark (e.g. Coca-Cola) unless you really, really like being sued.
Rule 3: Don't use your customers' trademarks as yours. You will really tick them off. Eventually, they will sue you, no matter how good the business relationship is.
Rule 4: Don't use your suppliers' trademarks as yours. Having your suppliers sue you is Not a Good Thing.
Particularly do not break these rules when I know damned well that you have at least fifty times the legal staffing in-house that I do, and you know and I know that the problem would be solved in 15 minutes if the lawyers could take a baseball bat to the kneecaps of calmly explain to the idiot director in marketing who broke the Rules that this is a bad idea and his company needs to stop doing it.

Annoying part 2: As the Old Man says, "In a Democratic administration, you get to hire all the people you want, but you can't spend a dime on equipment. In a Republican administration, you get to buy all the equipment you want, but you can't hire anybody." To which I would add, "And in the private sector, you can't hire anybody and you can't buy any equipment over $30."

Annoying part 3: deadbeat ex-customers, knock-off artist, Jon Dudas and all the other political appointees at the USPTO. Those effing idjits are actually appealing the Tafas v. Dudas case. I know that the appeals will go past the Inauguration, but I have little confidence that the Federal Circuit and the Supremes will get it right on appeal.

Annoying part 4: Examiner#6k on Patently-O. Normally I do not extend membership in the Crabby Old Bat category to myself, as I have not yet earned such a privilege. However, a kindergartner could qualify for membership in the Crabby Old Bat category after reading the nonsensical drivel that Examiner#6k posts. I strongly suspect that Examiner#6k obtained his science/engineering degree by mailing in cereal box tops. I would dearly love to know his real identity, so that I can assure that if he quits and becomes a patent agent or attorney, that I can keep my draft applications as far away from him as possible. He has absolutely nil understanding of the purpose of the patent system.

Sharing Knife part 3: Have, read, enjoyed, although I am glad I had the gift card to buy it with. I'll read it when I feel nostalgic for the Midwest, and/or I need something to relax.

Year of the Frog: continuing. The latest project lied to me in the pattern -- I need at least double the amount of yarn it said in order to finish. I am tempted to just order the yarn and finish it off, and hang matching the dye-lots. When work feels like the labors of Sisyphus, it's nice to have something that makes me feel like I've actually accomplished something that day. But right now the knitting is making that damned difficult as well! I suppose this is symbolic of Something. Either that or I should take up handspinning.

Comments

[roseprofessor.livejournal.com]

Sounds like another typical day for an IP attorney. (except for the last part)

[kaylarudbek.livejournal.com]

Yes, I suppose it's pretty typical. Although the one thing I have found is that the mere threat to take the candy away gets some of the inventors to turn their reviewed draft applications back in...money, power, sex, elephants, and the candy jar.