Kinnier Named Member ALBANY, NY (10/14/2020) – Hoffman Warnick LLC (HW), an intellectual property law firm based in Albany, NY, is proud to announce that Matthew J. Kinnier has been named as a Member of the firm. Matt’s practice includes the preparation and prosecution of domestic and international patent applications, and patent portfolio management, in…
USPTO v. Booking.com: Adding “.com” can now Establish Trademark Eligibility for a Generic Term. Tyler Rexhouse In a recent Supreme Court case, USPTO v. Booking.com, the Court determined that a so-called “generic.com” mark is eligible for federal trademark registration. “Generic.com” marks are a combination of a generic word or phrase (e.g., “wine” or “haircuts”)…
Hoffman Warnick Helps Vanda Protect Drug Treatment Patent We are proud to have assisted our client, Vanda Pharmaceuticals, in an important patent case that allows the company to retain market exclusivity for one of their important drug products until 2027. On January 13, 2020, the US Supreme Court denied Hikma Pharmaceuticals’ petition for a writ…
ERNEST G. CUSICK AND FRANKLIN S. ABRAMS JOIN FIRM Hoffman Warnick is proud to announce the appointment of Ernest Cusick as Counsel and Franklin Abrams as Special Counsel. Ernest G. Cusick Ernest Cusick’s practice focuses on patent strategy and procurement, as well as technology development. Mr. Cusick has worked with a wide array of clients,…
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PATENTS GROWING EXPONENTIALLY The attached chart depicts a graphical trend of the growing number of issued patents and published patent applications that involve Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI patents fall into two general categories. Those that use AI for a specific application such as autonomous driving cars, image recognition, data analysis, etc., and those that…
US Patent & Trademark Office Launches Pilot Program for Early Review of Cancer Immunotherapy Patent Applications The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced on June 30, 2016, that it is implementing a 12-month pilot program to provide for earlier review of patent applications relating to cancer immunotherapy. According to the Federal Register notice (link…
The proliferation of lawsuits brought by Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs), also referred to as “patent trolls,” has led to backlash in boardrooms and state houses throughout the country. Now, Massachusetts is making its own efforts to fight NPEs by introducing Senate Bill S.178, An Act Protecting Massachusetts Businesses from Abusive Patent Infringement Claims. As the Mass Tech…
Recent changes in federal law will require employers to change their confidentiality agreements with employees. On May 11, 2016, the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) was signed into law after being passed by both houses of Congress in April. Kevin Freking, Obama Signs Bill to Deter Theft of Trade Secrets, ABC News, (May 11, 2016,…
With a top comedy on network television comes added scrutiny – just ask the producers of the wildly popular show, The Big Bang Theory. Recently, the producers, along with others, discovered that their now-famous Soft Kitty lullaby has become the subject of a copyright infringement claim in US District Court in the Southern District of…
The United States National Park Service (NPS) is currently enmired in a dispute with one of its former contractors over contracts relating to Yosemite National Park. In early 2016, NPS selected a new company to manage several hotels and sites in Yosemite National Park. The outgoing contractor, Delaware North, asked NPS and the new contractor…