LOCUS DEMENTIA

For a few months now we've been watching commercials in the US where a Mac and a PC are compared using two people. The purpose of these commercials is to exemplify the differences between an Apple Mac computer and a PC. Really, though, what is this mythical PC that is being compared to a known brand name? The PC acronym means Personal Computer. This was originally coined in the 70s and taken-up by Apple to further its little hobbiest computer. Since that time, the PC became part of the IBM PC trademark on their own personal computing device. That product is long-since dead now, and Apple no longer uses the "Personal Computer" phrase for their product. What's worst is that many Wallstreet writers and analysts seem to think that PC is synonymous with Microsoft. That's not entirely true, of course. Sure, you can run Microsoft Windows on your non-Apple, x86 based, IBM PC clone, but that doesn't mean it's the only game in town. In fact, only about 92% of the PC...

We all have heard the saying that to any sufficiently primitive culture, any measure of technology appears to be magic. At what point does a technologically advanced society realize that it has begun to enter into the Age of Magic? If you were born in the early part of 1900, then you would have seen some largely fantastic advances that would appear magical to any primitive culture. Yet, even throughout the last 100 years, all that we've seen are advances on our mechanical technology. Whether it is the mechanical control of electrons through an NP junction, or the mechanical scattering of electromagnetic waves, these are just advances on the mechanical. Reading through Science today, I found a perspective on negative index of refraction materials (10.1126/science.1136481). What the heck is that, you say? Check this out: http://physicsweb.org/articles/world/16/5/3 http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn10816.html http://www.azom.com/details.asp?newsID=7492 http://www.sciencemag...

If you have a business, then you know that filing for a trademark is pretty easy in the USA. You just go to the USPTO web site ( www.uspto.gov ) and start filling out the form. The cost is significantly less now, nearly a third of what it was a couple of years ago. That's great news. What you don't know about your mark, though, is that there is a plethora of common law that dictates whether or not you can file with your specimens. The specimens are documents that clearly show your mark being used in commerce. Well, my last mark registration came back to me with the examiner asking for a better specimen that places the mark in closer proximity to evidence of commerce. Closer proximity. Yeah. Right. Apparently Lands’ End, Inc. v. Manbeck, 797 F. Supp. 511, 514, 24 USPQ2d 1314, 1316 (E.D. Va. 1992); In re Dell Inc., 71 USPQ2d 1725, 1727-1729 (TTAB 2004); In re MediaShare Corp., 43 USPQ2d 1304 (TTAB 1997); TMEP §§904.06(a) and (b), establish some common law that determines an acce...