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 for advice in naming a business. Specifically, the person had an idea for a name that he thought made the business sound respectable, but there is another business which had a slightly similar name. The other business doesn't do exactly the same thing that he wants to do with his business, though outsiders might not realize that. He wanted to know what he should do.

This is one of those questions that is asked a lot, though honestly not often enough. Many new business owners come up with a name that they fall in love with. They go ahead and get business cards, brochures, flyers, t-shirts, decals for their trucks, awnings for the front door of their business, have the local paper mention them "coming soon," etc....

My law practice is focused on Intellectual Property. I mostly help businesses, start-ups, and individual inventors, with protecting their ideas and their work. This is generally through the use of Patents, Trademarks, Copyright, Trade Secrets, Trade Dress, Right of Publicity, and similar protections. However, I also take great interest in Consumer Protection and in Unfair Trade Practices. This story comes closest to these last two areas.

YELP, a site and service best known for providing a forum for consumers to review and critique businesses, has noticed a disturbing trend: businesses threatening and suing customers who post negative reviews. Now YELP is doing their part to fight back, letting consumers know about their rights while also...

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...