I can't decide if I'm being unrealistic about my expectations for these shoes. Help me decide, should I try and return them or live with them? Pics of damage from one day of wear included.
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posted by Ness
on Jun 3, 2013 -
18 answers
Asking the hivemind for recommendations for a patent lawyer. Friend (lives in Chicago but willing to consider lawyers from any jurisdiction) has questions about patentability of his idea and potentially needs a patent attorney to help him with the prior art search and nonprovisional patent. Please post your recommendations in the comments or send me MeFi mail. Thanks!
posted by snafu
on Oct 10, 2012 -
8 answers
My former employer is asking for my signature on a document to assign patent rights to them as co-inventor for a patent I worked on while employed by them.
They are not interested in compensating me for my time.
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posted by anonymous
on Jun 26, 2012 -
28 answers
LegalFilter: My patent attorney charges more than I can afford to write a cease & desist. should I shop around for a better deal (and how)?
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posted by secretsecret
on Jun 26, 2012 -
8 answers
Is it illegal to willfully recreate a patented software process in open-source software, and what would be the possible consequences?
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posted by Calibandage
on Jun 3, 2012 -
10 answers
If I make an app using an app builder like Apple Developer, Buzztouch, Mit App Inventor or Andromo, for example, who owns the app?
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posted by cda
on May 20, 2012 -
2 answers
Looking for old sci-fi short story about patent system gone amok.
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posted by tk
on Apr 27, 2012 -
2 answers
I have an idea for a fun project I'd like to fund via Kickstarter, but I need to do some due diligence first. My idea involves a variation on an existing product. How do I learn if there are patents involved and who I need to talk to to license them if needed? Is this a job for a patent lawyer?
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posted by o2b
on Feb 17, 2012 -
3 answers
How might one structure a company for maximum resilience against patent trolls?
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posted by aramaic
on Oct 21, 2011 -
7 answers
Can you patent a business idea/model? I read that you can't patent something vague like a "cowboy themed pizzeria" but what about things like, Netflix, Zipcar, etc?
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posted by Jofecopa
on Jul 10, 2011 -
11 answers
I'm looking for the greatest unproduced patents from the late 1800's through the mid-40's. Amazing, interesting, unusual ideas that, on paper, might have made a big impact - but got no further than the patent office. Where would I find these?
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posted by rileyray3000
on Jun 10, 2011 -
5 answers
I'm patenting a product and looking into funding options. I have money coming in from the product, but attorney and patent fees are expensive. Other than a small business loan (in this economy?) are there other options? Thinking about grants, but I was always under the impression that it takes a long time to get the money if you win the grant. advice?
posted by secretsecret
on May 9, 2011 -
7 answers
Would you advise a lawyer with 22 undergraduate physics credits to complete the 2-3 additional physics classes necessary to qualify for the patent bar? Will I be employable as a patent attorney in Chicago with the minimum technical background or do I need an additional degree (or degrees)? Is it fun?
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posted by steinwald
on Mar 21, 2011 -
12 answers
Zyflo is a drug that makes my nose and lungs work better. It's currently ridiculously expensive, but the patent's running out. How can I find out when someone will make it generic?
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posted by condour75
on Nov 12, 2010 -
9 answers
Hello, I'm applying for a trademark. Is it best to just head over to the uspto.gov site and take it from there? or use any pro bono or paid work I could find from an attorney. A laymen such as myself could lost in the wrong forms? Thanks
posted by KHinds10
on Sep 28, 2010 -
6 answers
My curiosity has been piqued by this line in
Extra Lives: "The technology BioWare uses to manage in-game dialogue is closely minded, and parts of it are patented." Which parts?
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posted by danb
on Sep 5, 2010 -
9 answers
The license system used by my company supposedly infringes a patent. Help me find some examples of similar license systems which existed before the patent was granted.
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posted by anonymous
on Aug 3, 2010 -
13 answers
I've got an idea for a mobile (iPhone) app, turns out there is a patent that covers the idea. What can I do?
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posted by blueplasticfish
on Jul 8, 2010 -
8 answers
I am an academic and have an advanced degree in science and I am interested in doing work as an expert witness in intellectual property litigation. Would being a registered patent agent help or hurt me in pursing work in this area?
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posted by procrastination
on May 5, 2010 -
10 answers
Can a teacher patent a curriculum if the curriculum concerns very specific niche type of program? A friend is about to go to a company and offer her curriculum as a new program for them, but is concerned that they will run with the idea but not hire her to implement it.
posted by MayNicholas
on Mar 3, 2010 -
4 answers
For the patent lawyers in the house... If a pharmaceutical company creates a me-too drug, (i.e. a drug that offers no improvement over the existing drug in its class--for instance claritin, allegra, zyrtec, etc.) is their burden of proof in the patent process that their drug is "better than placebo" or that it is "as good as the pre-existing drug in the class?"
posted by mert
on Jan 16, 2010 -
9 answers
What kind of small toys or devices click when you rotate them forwards and backwards? Seeking mechanism or design...
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posted by pallen123
on Nov 21, 2009 -
13 answers
Does anyone own a patent for the button? As in, the button you press to turn on your tv, or to dial your phone, or to nuke the planet from orbit. not the button on your shirt.
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posted by shmegegge
on Oct 20, 2009 -
8 answers
I have invented a card game and would like to protect it before I start large-scale game testing. I can't find useful information about the laws surrounding protecting this kind of intellectual property. First, what kind of protections should I be seeking for a card game? Second, any recommendations on reputable, ethical lawyers in Seattle who can help me protect my game?
posted by velvetsmog
on Sep 4, 2009 -
9 answers
USPTO question: Am I the only person who needs to fill out the Certificate of Mailing, or does something need to be filled out/signed/stamped by the post office? Looking at the form, it looks like something that only I need to sign, but when I spoke to a woman at the PTO on the phone, she said that I needed to get the post office to do something. I don't think that's right, reading the reg, and looking at the form, but I was looking for a little advice. Thanks!
posted by mercredi
on Apr 21, 2009 -
9 answers
Let's assume I have a US patent for a certain software server technology, like better Google or youtube. Would this patent protect me from infringement abroad, where servers would serve requests coming from USA?
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posted by luntain
on Jan 20, 2009 -
8 answers
Is it difficult to get hired by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a patent examiner?
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posted by rybreadmed
on Oct 12, 2008 -
9 answers
Can I patent a sandwich? I may have just invented the best sandwich ever, and before I reveal the recipe I want to know it's safe from those would attempt to misuse it's power for evil.
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posted by Dillonlikescookies
on Jun 21, 2008 -
44 answers
I want to do a research study involving someone else's patented idea. What magic powers do patents have on the use of the idea in research?
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posted by parkerjackson
on Jun 3, 2008 -
3 answers
I am currently involved in setting up a website, and it is proving to be a Herculean task. However, thanks to an instilled sense of guilt and a desire to feel worth
ful, for a change, I have decided to give back to those that may not be as lucky, as rich, or as pretty as me, namely New York’s starving (or just struggling) artists. My goal, through this website, is to give them a helping hand for free, but obviously need some sort of funding and business plan to move forwards with. I have no experience with any of this. Please help!
My main concerns, not having ever done this before, are worrying about how to get funding/donations, whether I need to turn it into an NPO, and whether I should be worried about business-minded people stealing my idea, commercializing it, and basically shoving me out of the way.
The following are a list of problems for the immediate future. I have listed them all here because of AskMetafilter’s one-week policy on posting new threads.
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posted by omnigut
on Jan 6, 2008 -
9 answers
I'm developing an e-commerce project with business processes that are truly unique and might be patentable. I understand there is serious debate about the benefit and/or validity of many patents in this field, but I think my idea stands up to the bullshit test, and I don't think protecting it would be anti-competitive.
So, should I launch and go about protecting the invention later, or should I hire a patent attorney right away? I've searched the patent databases myself and found nothing remotely similar. But I'm not an expert.
posted by subpixel
on Dec 28, 2007 -
7 answers
Anyone have any experiences with San Francisco patent attorneys? I want to try to get a utility patent.
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posted by trevyn
on Nov 18, 2007 -
5 answers
I had an idea that, if patentable, would be worth quite a bit. However the chance of it being patentable is low (about 10-20%) and wouldn't be marketable by itself and would most likely require sale to a computer manufacturer. Are there any businesses that handle these kinds of ideas for a % of ownership in the potential patent?
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posted by JakeLL
on Oct 16, 2007 -
19 answers
PatentFilter: If a company has a patent in its non-US home country, can it sill after some years apply for a US-Patent?
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posted by yoyo_nyc
on Oct 13, 2007 -
5 answers
ISP, OpenSource options that can forward emails to your phone/alternate-address, so that when you reply, the replies are sent from your email address (and not from your phone's email address), and threats of patenting said idea.
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posted by lundman
on Aug 28, 2007 -
4 answers
