Intellectual Property Law Blog
Attorneys Will Pagán & Ed Green Undefeated on Appeal in 2019
Coats & Bennett is proud to announce that Attorneys William G. Pagán and Edward H. Green III both had unblemished records on Appeal before the Patent Trials and Appeal Board (PTAB) in 2019, obtaining complete reversals of the Examiner's rejections in six out of...
Epic Games settles with games tester in violation of his NDA
What does it take to succeed in business? The answer is, of course, many things. You need to have something that someone wants, and you need to have a way to get it to them. You also need to monetize that exchange. And behind it all? You need a plan to separate...
Attorney William G. Pagán Named to IP Rising Stars List
Coats & Bennett is proud to announce that, for the second consecutive year, William G. Pagán has been named to Super Lawyers' North Carolina Intellectual Property Rising Stars list. No more than 2.5% of all attorneys in the state are named to the Rising Stars...
New Hurdles for IPR Petitioners Seeking to Rely on Printed Publications
Printed publications often are the best source of evidence that a patent claim is invalid. For example, textbooks, technical specifications, whitepapers, and even comments posted in an online forum can include details that provide one or more grounds under 35 U.S.C....
What do goats have to do with the laws for trade dress?
In Door County, Wisconsin, there’s a restaurant with a grass roof. And on that roof? There’s a small herd of goats. It’s the sort of thing that helps you remember a place. And even though a herd of goats might not constitute a trademark, their existence atop the...
More Pro Bono Honors for Attorney William G. Pagán
William G. Pagán has been given the Meritorious Service Award for his pro bono work in service of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), United States Air Force Auxiliary. Mr. Pagán serves dual roles on the North Carolina Wing Commander's staff as North Carolina's most senior...
Coats and Bennett Files Amicus Brief
Coats & Bennett recently filed an amicus brief on behalf of the American Institute of Building Design (AIBD in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in an architectural works copyright case. In Design Basics, LLC, et al v. Signature Construction, Inc., et al.,...
Five reasons due diligence is crucial in IP business transactions
Could the right intellectual property (IP) propel your business to greatness? In today’s business environment, technological advances lead to new disruptive business models at a dizzying rate. There are billions of dollars at play. Everything seems to be waiting for...
What is the process for getting a patent?
Patents protect your business's intellectual property and ensure competitors can't profit off your ideas and concepts. Obtaining a patent can seem like an intimidating process, as there are many steps and procedures business owners must perform to properly safeguard...
Possible big changes coming to copyrights
Protecting your copyrights is very important when a copyright is essential to your North Carolina business. When someone else uses your copyrighted content without permission, you have a right under the law to seek damages. The traditional way to do this is through...