Category: Blake’s Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights

My client Faria Beed Instruments in Uncasville, CT recently received an issued patent on a patent application I worked on for them. The patent can be found here!

The supreme court of Massachusetts decided in December of 2015 that just because a firm represented two competitors in patent preparation and prosecution in the same technological area before the USPTO, that that alone does not arise to a conflict of interest. The case is called CHRIS E. MALING vs. FINNEGAN, HENDERSON, FARABOW, GARRETT&DUNNER, LLP, & others and can be found by doing a search for “Maling” here.

As stated by the court on page 9:
“Maling advocates for a broad interpretation of rule 1.7 that would render all subject matter conflicts actionable, per se violations. We disagree. We conclude that although subject matter conflicts in patent prosecutions often may present a number of potential legal, ethical, and practical problems for lawyers and their clients, they do not, standing alone, constitute an actionable conflict of interest that violates rule 1.7.”

Also, at page 14: “Maling’s conclusory allegations as to the high degree of similarity between his device and the Masunaga device are contradicted by his acknowledgment elsewhere in the complaint that patents issued for both his applications and the Masunaga applications. Although Maling alleges that the Masunaga and Maling applications are “similar . . . in many important respects,” he does not allege that the claims are identical or obvious variants of each other such that the claims in one application would necessarily preclude claims contained in the other.”

The underlined part above is the important take away as to what might constitute an actionable conflict, that is a conflict may exist when preparing or prosecuting patent applications for different clients when the “claims are identical or obvious variants of each other such that the claims in one application would necessarily preclude claims contained in the other”.

Donghia, Inc. out of Milford, CT has received a design patent on their unique Anchor Table Base. The patent can be seen here.

I will be starting my fourth semester as a supervising patent attorney and assistant clinical professor at the UCONN Law School IP Clinic this month. Classes at the Law School begin January 19, 2016. More information on the IP CLINIC can be found here.

I am proud to be giving a presentation to UConn’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities for the second year in a row. On October 8, 2015, I will be presenting on Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs at the bootcamp. You can find more information on the bootcamp here.

I would like to congratulate my client Tracey Couto who received a design patent on her design for a Onesie with Loops and Links. The patent can be seen troche 024.PN.&OS=PN/D737,024&RS=PN/D737,024″>here.

I would like to congratulate my client Donghia, of Milford, CT for recently obtaining three design patents. The patents were for a console table , cocktail table, and sofa bases .

I would like to congratulate my client Nicole Koester from Fairfield, CT for receiving a design patent on her cell phone pouch invention! You can see the patent here.

My client Mobile Shelter Systems out of Norway and Helotes, TX (near San Antonio) recently obtained a patent on their Intermodal Container. The patent can be seen here. Congratulations Mobile Shelter Systems!

I would like to congratulation my client Marlon Jones of Hamden, CT for receiving a patent on his Food Container Stacking Device and System! The patent can be seen here.