Category Archives: News

TIPS FROM A SEASONED LAWYER

Posted on September 12, 2011 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

As an attorney who advises start-up enterprises certain issues come up regularly in representing them. These include selecting a business name, organizing the business, protecting the business’ intellectual property and dealing with potential litigation. I’ve therefore prepared a summary guide … Continue reading →

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PROTECTING YOUR TRADEMARK FOR YOUR NEW OLD PRODUCT FOR THE NEW ECONOMY

Posted on March 30, 2011 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

Reuters reported today that consumer spending rose in February for the eighth straight month, by .3%. However, prices rose .4% that same month. Probably not coincidentally, the New York Times wrote on February 25th under the title “Consumers Hold On … Continue reading →

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LEGAL LIABILITY FOR FAMILY SNAPSHOTS?

Posted on March 29, 2011 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

A PDA may be a definition for a “Personal Digital Assistant,” an electronic device which may include calendar functions, note taking functions, a simple word-processor, a calculator, etc. Stand-alone PDA’s have now largely been supplanted by smartphones. PDA may also, … Continue reading →

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HOW TO CHEAPLY PROTECT YOUR IDEA

Posted on March 9, 2011 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

In the New York Times’ “You’re the Boss” column dated February 21, 2011 subtitled “The Art of Running a Small Business” the author, David H. Freedman, wrote “Got a Great Idea? Tell Everyone!” In that column, he cites the example … Continue reading →

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IS STEVE JOBS THE NEW WALT DISNEY?

Posted on October 21, 2010 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

Has Steve Jobs become the post-boomer generation’s Walt Disney? It is beginning to look that way. Walt Disney coined the phrase “Imagineering,” which comes from the blending of the words imagination and engineering, to describe the design and development arm … Continue reading →

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IHOP VS. INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PRAYER

Posted on October 21, 2010 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

The New York times reported on September 15th that the International House of Pancakes, owner of, among other registered trademarks, U.S. Service Mark Registration 3,429,405 for the mark, IHOP, for “Restaurant Services,” was suing a Kansas City church known as the International House … Continue reading →

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CREATING PROTOTYPES QUICKLY & INEXPENSIVELY

Posted on October 20, 2010 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

In the classic sci-fi film Metropolis the workers who man the machines that are essential to making that city work revolt against their masters flooding and destroying their own quarters beneath that city. With each passing day we see French … Continue reading →

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LEGO PRODUCT SHAPE NOT PROTECTED UNDER EURO T.M. LAW

Posted on September 14, 2010 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

As a footnote to my blog entry on “Protecting Your Product Design,” the Associated Press reported today that Lego lost a final trademark ruling in the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg to the effect that “Lego’s [toy] bricks can’t … Continue reading →

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Doing Business in China

Posted on June 13, 2010 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

I often counsel clients who want to have their goods manufactured in China that they use caution, know who their manufacturer is, and make sure that their manufacturer is made aware that any branded product that it makes for them … Continue reading →

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PROTECTING YOUR TRADE SECRETS-A LESSON

Posted on June 2, 2010 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

In an earlier posting entitled “Minding Your Own Business Or Keeping Your Trade Secrets Secret” I discussed various measures that an entity can take to maintain the confidentiality and the value of its trade secrets. The Illinois Trade Secrets Act … Continue reading →

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USING THIRD-PARTY WEB DEVELOPERS

Posted on June 1, 2010 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

The following entry should not be taken as a plug for the movie of the above name that is set for release this October 1st and is described by Columbia Pictures in a press release as the story of how … Continue reading →

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PROTECTING YOUR PRODUCT DESIGN USING TRADEMARK LAW (CONT.)

Posted on May 28, 2010 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

On April 15th I posted an entry on how to protect your product design using trademark law. Last month, it was reported that Hershey had filed a trademark infringement claim against Williams-Sonoma alleging that the latter company had violated its … Continue reading →

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SELECTING GOOD TRADEMARKS-A GAME

Posted on May 19, 2010 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

In my first blog entry I discussed “Selecting a Trademark and Creating a Brand Identity.” For fun, I thought that I’d pick some products and have you, the readers of my blog, apply what I wrote in that entry to … Continue reading →

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SHANGHAI PIRATES

Posted on May 19, 2010 by ERIC WACHSPRESS

On May 1st, China opened its World’s Fair, Expo 2010, in Shanghai. People visiting that city to attend the World’s Fair may have to look a little harder to pick up the latest new releases on DVD. As reported in … Continue reading →

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