The Law Offices of H.W. Pfabé

Gene Quinn, on his well-respected site “IPWatchdog”, recently posted an article entitled “The Patent Gender Gap Goes Beyond Fewer Women in Math and Sciences.”[i] In the article, he discussed a recent study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, which found that less than 20% of issued U.S. patents list at least one woman inventor (with only 7.7% listing a woman as the primary inventor). It is a very interesting read, and includes a discussion with three women who are passionate about the subject, and are also heavily involved with the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) movement.

(As a personal note, I’m a big proponent of “STEAM”, which includes “Art” in the vital list of subjects that we, as a society, must enc...

I was recently asked by someone for advice on how to prepare for a meeting with a Patent Attorney (whether that be me or someone else). This is actually a great question to ask, as there are some things that you can do to not only get the most out of the meeting, but also to ensure that your Patent Attorney has the right information to then go and do the best job possible (and maybe save you some money, too).

The First Meeting

Most Patent Attorneys, myself included, offer a Free Initial Consultation. This typically lasts for about half an hour, and is a chance for you and your potential Patent Attorney to get to know each other and see if you’re each the right fit for the other one. This is important. The Patent acquisition process u...

Well, sort of.

Sticking with the latest news for another article, there is a lot of talk today about the new Patent which was issued to Apple, Inc. just four days ago. According to the much of the conversation surrounding it, many people think this Patent allows Apple to shut off the camera to your iPhone or other Apple product whenever they want. The main example, taken directly from the Patent, is turning off your camera on your phone when you’re at a live concert, whether you like it or not.

Understandably, this has raised a lot of concern as to people’s privacy, personal property, rights, and generally the idea of Apple taking control of your device, whether even against your will. Additionally, the fear is that people’s ability to...

Trying out the new Blogging tool.

Please come back soon to check out our upcoming entries, including a primer on Intellectual Property, as well as information on what every business owner needs to know about last week's new law!