Author: m blake

Fifth Circuit says no Statutory Damages unless Copyright first registered

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that statutory damages are not available unless the copyright was registered prior to the infringement.  The court in Southern Credentialing Support v. Hammond Surgical Hospital LLC et al, case number 18-31160, January 9, 2020, held that even if a different type of infringement occurred after registration, that if the infringement started prior to registration, no statutory damages were available.  The case can be read here.

The moral to this story is that if you want statutory damages, which can be up to $150,000 per infringement, you must register your copyright early, and at a minimum before the infringement begins.

Chief Technology Officer of Stanley Black & Decker will be presenting at the next Inventors Association of Connecticut Meeting!

Dr. Mark Maybury, the CTO of Stanley Black & Decker will be speaking at the next IACT meeting at 1 pm on February 18, 2020 at the Dolan School Events Hall at Fairfield University.  Dr. Maybury is Stanley Black & Decker’s first Chief Technology Officer.  In this position, Dr. Maybury manages a team across the company’s businesses and functions and advises on technological threats and opportunities, as well as provides access to all elements of the global technology ecosystem.  Stanley Black & Decker is a $14 billion diversified industrial with over sixty thousand employees that manufacture one half million products in over one hundred facilities in sixty countries around the world. A core aspect of Stanley Black & Decker’s 176-year journey is a legacy of industrial excellence founded on socially responsible innovation. Increasingly these products leverage artificial intelligence, for example, to anticipate falls from gait analysis, perform audio event understanding to enhance security, or to provide intelligent health care companionship to enable aging in place. Equally important is the deployment of artificial intelligence to enhance the effectiveness of supply chains and the manufacturing and distribution of these world first products. This presentation will focus on the opportunities and challenges of deploying artificial intelligence at scale at Stanley Black & Decker for those who make the world.

I plan on attending and hope to see you there!  More information can be found here.

Entrepreneurs Society – Eastern Fairfield County Chapter January Meeting

I attended the Entrepreneurs Society – Eastern Fairfield County Chapter Meeting on January 28, 2020 at Haus Bridgeport.  Vinnie Brand, the owner of the comedy club Stress Factory was one of the speakers.  It turns out Vinnie Brand has purchased Haus Bridgeport, and plans on turning it into a new restaurant with his wife Vicki Brand.  Vinnie talked about how he started the Stress Factory, and gave advice to the young entrepreneurs.  Will Hamer, one of the owners of the new Bridgeport coffee and waffle shop, aptly named, Bean ‘n Batter was also one of the speakers.  He also talked about how he started Bean ‘n Batter.  I met some young entrepreneurs and talked to them about protecting their intellectual property with patents and trademarks.  You can find more information about the Entrepreneurs Society here.

I will be teaching a class on Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights for individual and small businesses in March!

On March 19, and 26 at 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm each night, I will be offering a course through Milford Adult Education on Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights for individual and small businesses.  The class will be held and Jonathan Law High School, Room 101, 20 Lansdale Ave, Milford, CT 06460.  If you are a new inventor, or a small business owner who needs to understand about patents, trademarks and copryrights, this class if for you!  You can find out more, and sign up here.

INVENTORS ASSOCIATION OF CONNECTICUT HOLIDAY PARTY THIS SUNDAY!

I will be attending the Inventors Association of Connecticut (IACT) Holiday Party this Sunday, Dec 22, 2019 at Fairfield Craft Ales, located in Stratford.  It will be great fun seeing local inventors at this festive time of the year.  The party is for members of IACT, if you are interested, please join IACT.  More information on joining IACT can be found here .

Milford Bar Association Annual Holiday Party!

On Thursday, Dec 12, 2019, the Milford Bar Association will be hosting their annual Holiday Party at the Milford Elk’s Lodge!  I am looking forward to seeing my colleagues for this festive occasion!  More information on the Milford Bar Association can be found here, as well as members of the Milford Bar Association.

I will be attending the Holiday Lunch hosted by the New Haven Chapter of Score

Tomorrow I will be attending the Holiday Lunch hosted by the New Haven Chapter of Score at Brazi’s Italian Restaurant in New Haven.

SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small businesses start, grow, and succeed nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and has been mentoring small business owners for more than forty years.

Founded in 1964, SCORE is headquartered in Herndon, VA and has 364 chapters throughout the United States and its territories, with over 13,000 volunteers nationwide.

I donate my time to Score helping individuals with your inventions and trademarks, and other legal questions.

For more information about the New Haven Chapter of Score, go here.

23rd Connecticut Business Conference and Competition on December 6, 2019 at Gateway College, New Haven CT

I will be attending the Entrepreneurship Foundation next event tomorrow which will be the 23rd Connecticut Business Conference and Competition. The event will be held on December 6, 2019 at Gateway College,  Room N100, New Haven CT.  There will be $20,000 in startup grants and  $5,000 in startup services.  The event will have A. BUSINESS CONCEPT ELEVATOR PITCH; B. GLOBAL STUDENT ENTREPRENEUR AWARD; C. INNOVATION CHALLENGE; and D. DESIGNER and DEVELOPER COMPETITIONS and EXHIBITIONS.  More information can be found here.

Inventors Association of Connecticut November 26, 2019!

I will be attending the Inventors Association of Connecticut meeting tomorrow night, November 26, 2019 at Fairfield University.  Game and Toy inventor Mary Ellroy will be presenting on “Licencing Your Game and Toy Inventions”.  Mary will talk about investigating the successful ideation and go-to-market strategy that she used.  of a serial inventor and former IACT President, Mary Ellroy.  Mary Ellroy has been in the toy business since 1990, and is an inventor of toys and games and an agent for toy and game inventors. She comes to toy invention with a corporate marketing background. She received an MBA from the Boston College School of Management (now the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.) Past positions included a Director position at a Fortune 50 company, a vice presidency/ownership position in a newspaper advertising firm, and various advertising and media positions. Her creative accomplishments in consumer marketing inspired her to turn that creativity to toys and games.  More information on the meeting can be found here.