Monday, May 28, 2007

Office Live Sues Microsoft

Office Live LLC., an online media company that gives free professional advice and runs a number of websites, including Officelive.net, has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft targeting its “Office Live" brand. The lawsuit aims to seek an injunction disallowing Microsoft from using the “Office Live" name. Office Live LLC has had a federal registration on the “Office Live" trademark since 2002, well before the launch of Microsoft's Office Live services, which only made their debut late last November. Office Live LLC also has a large number of services and websites centered on the Office Live brand, such as Lawofficelive.com, Autofficelive.com, and Realtorsofficelive.com. Following the release of Microsoft's Office Live services, Office Live LLC filed a lawsuit against Microsoft on December 29, 2006 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Senate Introduces NEMA-backed Intellectual Property Rights Act

Many people tell me that I am totally the wrong person to ever write about either "intellect" or "property," but two senators recently introduced new legislation on the subject that I applaud.
They are trying to put some teeth into the U.S. intellectual property rights, which seemingly get trudged upon continuously in the consumer electronics space.
Senators Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio) have introduced "The Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Act" in the U.S. Senate. Their bill seeks to ensure continued improvement in domestic interagency coordination, as well as international coordination among nations, committed to fair trade and shutting down counterfeiting and piracy networks.
The legislation will also require the executive branch to report to Congress about progress toward meeting national goals.