Assignments
Best practices for foreign filings Want to avoid being sued? Want to be a foreign filing hero? Make sure the chain of title is correct. In particular, we strongly recommend as best practices that you secure assignments from the inventor…
Foreign IP is on sale
The world really does move in mysterious ways, and nowhere is that more true than in the economy. The price of oil is way down. The US Dollar is way up relative to the currencies of most other countries, including…
Seasonal Rant
In the spirit of the season, a Rant and best wishes. Happy Festivus, and All the Best for 2015. Neil
Zero to One, by Peter Thiel
Zero to One by Peter Thiel. Peter Thiel was one of the co-founders of PayPal (along with a ridiculous number of other very successful folks including Elon Musk of Telsa and SpaceX fame, and Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn). Much of…
Stupid things investors say
Investing is a low-barrier to entry, poorly-regulated business so it should come as no surprise that many fund managers say crazy things when talking about their historic returns. Similarly, retain and angel investors prefer to glorify their returns even if…
Patent trolls are here to stay
Patent trolls are here to stay Here are some fundamental truths: Patents are not self-enforcing, nor does the state enforce your patent rights; A patent is nothing more than a call option to sue, and unless the patent owner enforces…
Trademark Searches in Canada
Canadian trademark searches come in 3 flavors: basic, better and best, and this is a case where ‘you get what you pay for’. A basic Canadian trademark search is a free direct ‘knock-out’ search of the trademarks register. This basic…
Trademark process flowchart
This flowchart explains the steps, timelines, and costs for registering trademarks in Canada in a downloadable and printable PDF format.
Moneyball – don’t judge a book by its movie.
Moneyball by Michael Lewis is an excellent piece of financial journalism, vastly better and more insightful than you would glean from the movie starring Brad Pitt. The premise of Moneyball is that the Oakland As revolutionized baseball by abandoning heuristics…
Basic Trademark Info: key info for people new to trademarks
Contents What is a trademark? Why use a trademark? Why register a trademark? When to register a trademark in Canada – and when not to bother. What is a trademark? A trademark is a mark that distinguishes goods or services…