Schmeiser, Olsen & Watts LLP

News Archive

Feb/March 2010 firm newsletter

Event held on protecting intellectual property

Richard A. D'Errico of The Business Review Name a U.S. presiden who has a patent. While you're at it, name the actress who invented a new and improved diaper. If you guessed Abraham Lincoln and Jamie Lee Curtis, you're right. After a ship he was on ran aground on a sandbar, Lincoln came up with a way to buoy vessels in shallow water. Curtis invented a diaper with a pouch inside where wipes could be stored. These were just some of the examples provided by Arlen Olsen of Schmeiser. Olsen & Watts LLP of Latham during a discussion on "Protecting and Commercializing Your Intellectual Property" at the Albany Marriott on Oct. 23. The event was sponsored by Albany Law School's Science and Technology Law Center. Olsen used to work in the U.S. Patent office where he said he used to do research to "see what has been done before." There are about 6.5 million patents, including Harry Houdini's quick-changing diving suit, a game by Samuel Langhorne Clemens -- aka Mark Twain -- and Walt Disney's teacup ride. Olsen told those in attendance that before considering getting a patent, they should find someone who is not only an expert in law but an expert in technology. A U.S. patent is a grant of property right by the U.S. government to the inventor to "exclude others from making, using, or selling the invention." They are granted for a term of 20 years from filing and then become public domain. rg/12/'>lung cancer systoms