Blog
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FTC Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Blocked Nationwide
by Hovey Williams August 23, 2024by Jaclyn Alcantara The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Final Rule banning most non-compete agreements between employers and employees was blocked nationwide on Tuesday, August 20,…
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Supreme Court Rejects “TRUMP TOO SMALL” Trademark
In a unanimous decision in Vidal v. Elster, 22-704, 06-13-2024, ___ U.S. ___, 2024 WL 1234567 (U.S. June 13, 2024), the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Lanham Act’s names clause — which prohibits the registration of a mark that “[c]onsists of or comprises a name … identifying a particular living individual except by his
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New Court Precedent makes Design Patents Harder to Obtain, Easier to Challenge
by Hovey Williams May 23, 2024On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) overruled the Rosen-Durling test, long used to assess nonobviousness of design patents, and replaced it with a new flexible approach already used to assess utility patents. This precedential decision in LKQ Corp. v. GM Global Tech. Operations LLC, No. 21-2348, slip op.
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FTC Attempts to Ban Non-Compete Agreements: A Step Towards Greater Worker Mobility or a Threat to Businesses?
by Hovey Williams April 25, 2024In a landmark move, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted this week to ban most non-compete agreements. Many employee advocates consider this a significant step towards ensuring worker mobility and fair competition in the job market, whereas many employers consider this a setback to protecting valuable company intellectual property. The new rule is set to
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USPTO Provides Guidance for Inventorship Determination of AI-Assisted Inventions
by Hovey Williams February 27, 2024The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) incentivizes the creation and protection of valuable new technologies by awarding limited monopolies to inventors via patents. Some inventors are now taking advantage of the enormous potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with their creations. This raises questions as to who (and what) can be
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Working from …Home? How to Respond to the Trademark Office’s Domicile Address Requirement
by Hovey Williams February 5, 2024This article highlights the updated guidance provided by the USPTO regarding the domicile address requirement and provides an overview of possible response options for trademark owners.
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Client Alert: Beware of Trademark Scam Solicitations
by Hovey Williams January 2, 2024Recently, there has been a rise in trademark scam solicitations sent from private companies targeting new trademark applicants. This article provides an overview of recent trends that we are seeing in trademark scam solicitations and provides helpful tips to avoid becoming a victim of these sophisticated scams.
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Hovey Williams Sponsors and Participates in Johnson County Bar Foundation’s Annual Golf Tournamnent
by Hovey Williams September 11, 2023We had awesome weather, a fun round of golf at St. Andrews Golf Club, and lots of camaraderie, all while raising money for local charities.
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Hovey Williams Participating in AIPF 2023 Annual Meeting
by Hovey Williams August 15, 2023The theme this year is “The Transformation of the IP Service Market” and the impact of new technology on IP Boutiques’ operations will be discussed.
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