USPTO extends certain deadlines for Patent and Trademark Filings to June 1, 2020

On April 28, 2020 the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) further extended the time to file certain patent and trademark-related documents and to pay certain required fees, which otherwise would have been due between March 27 and May 31.  The new deadline is June 1, 2020.  This is in addition to the prior extension the USPTO had announced on March 31, 2020.  Such an extension will be allowed if they are accompanied by a statement that the filing delay was due to the COVID-19 outbreak.   More information can be found at the USPTO website here.

CORONAVIRUS RELIEF HELP

The Federal Government through the Small Business Administration has several relief options for businesses, and the self employed.

The first is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).  The PPP is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities, however, 75% of the money must be used for payrool in order to get forgiveness of the loan.    The following entities affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19) may be eligible to apply for the PPP:

          • Any small business concern that meets SBA’s size standards (either the industry based sized standard or the alternative size standard);
          • Any business, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, 501(c)(19) veterans organization, or Tribal business concern (sec. 31(b)(2)(C) of the Small Business Act) with the greater of:
            • 500 employees, or
            • that meets the SBA industry size standard if more than 500;
          • Any business with a NAICS Code that begins with 72 (Accommodations and Food Services) that has more than one physical location and employs less than 500 per location; and
          • Sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed persons.

More information on the PPP can be found here.

The second is the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance (EIDLEA).  small business owners in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories are eligible to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance of up to $10,000. This advance will provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. Funds will be made available following a successful application. This loan advance will not have to be repaid.  This program is for any small business with less than 500 employees (including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and self-employed persons), private non-profit organization or 501(c)(19) veterans organizations affected by COVID-19.  Businesses in certain industries may have more than 500 employees if they meet the SBA’s size standards for those industries.  More information on the EIDLEA can be found here.

The U.S. Patent Office is still processing patents and trademarks!

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is closed to the public until further notice.  However, USPTO operations will continue without interruption. Also, patent and trademark deadlines are NOT extended.  I am still doing work for my clients, and taking on new matters for new clients, and existing clients.

For more information about COVID 19 and the USPTO please go here.

 

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.

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 .

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.

UCONN client receives Patent on System and method for issuing, authenticating, storing, retrieving, and verifying documents!

I would like to congratulate my University of Connecticut IP Clinic clients on receiving their patent on a “System and method for issuing, authenticating, storing, retrieving, and verifying documents”.  Eli  and Liwen Yaacoby were the inventors and their company Wymsical, Inc. of Greenwich, CT, is the owner of the patent.  The patent can be seen here.  These type of patents can be very difficult to get, since they deal with business methods after Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International, 573 U.S. 208 (2014).