Saturday, April 29, 2006

Intellectual Property Protection

RE: [spiers] Intellectual Property Protection


Ismail - my experience has shown me that the one with the most money (or who
shows he can last the longest in a court battle) wins - sad, but that has been
my experience. It is very expensive to take someone to court and I do not
believe any lawyer will take the case on a contingency no matter how good it
looks. Paying for all that 'protection' may just be money down the drain if you
don't have the money to fight in court.
chris

--- On Fri 04/28, Ismail Zehri < ismail.zehri@cheerful.com > wrote:
From: Ismail Zehri [mailto: ismail.zehri@cheerful.com]
To: spiers@yahoogroups.com
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 08:06:10 -0000
Subject: [spiers] Intellectual Property Protection




John,

I know that you don't endorse your students to get patents for their
ideas. But, by reading their comments on this discussion board, I
gather that there are many people out there who are very concerned
about protecting their intellectual property.

Today, I had a very productive meeting with an attorney who
specializes in law pertaining to intellectual property, and I would
like to share his simple and cost effective "self-service" strategies
to protect your ideas:

1. FILE DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT [Cost: $10 + mail charges]:
When you conceive your idea, write a description of the product's
construction and utility, draw detailed diagrams, complete the
Disclosure Document, attach a check for $10 and mail the package to
the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This process is
the acceptance and preservation for two (2) years of the Disclosure
Document as evidence of the date of conception of an invention by the
USPTO.
Instructions: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/disdo.html
Form: http://www.uspto.gov/web/forms/sb0095.pdf

2. SIGN CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS [Cost: $0]:
Any time you talk to someone about your idea during development stage,
have him or her sign a confidentiality agreement.
Sample: http://www.bitlaw.com/forms/nda.html#Agreement

3. TRADEMARK BRAND NAME [Cost: $0]:
As soon as your product is manufactured and ready for sale, enter the
word "TM" next to your logo and brand name. This establishes your
rights in a mark based on legitimate use of the mark until you're
ready to register.
Instructions: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/tac/doc/basic/register.htm

4. FILE PROVISIONAL APPLICATION FOR PATENT [Cost: $215 to $330]
Once your product is ready for sale (not during development stage),
only then should you apply for Provisional Patent which provides
intellectual property protection for one (1) year. For the next twelve
months, do your best to sell millions of your product.
Instructions: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/provapp.htm
Application Form: http://www.uspto.gov/web/forms/sb0016_fill.pdf
Electronic Filing:
https://sportal.uspto.gov/secure/portal/efs-unregistered
"Small Entity" Fee Schedule:
http://www.uspto.gov/go/fees/fee2006apr05.htm#patapp

Once you are confident that your product is generating a steady
revenue stream within the first ten (10) months of selling, and only
then you should consider hiring an attorney to "File" the
Non-Provisional Patent application and "Register" your Trademark.
Please engage the service of an attorney two (2) months prior to the
expiration of your Provisional Patent; it takes them approximately
that long to complete the filing process. The cost of this service is
in thousands of dollars.

By the way, I feel obligated to mention that USPTO's website is one of
the worst and most confusing websites I've ever used. Hopefully, the
links that I've provided here will simplify finding the correct
information.

Best wishes,

Ismail Zehri
Las Vegas, NV


Friday, April 28, 2006

Intellectual Property Protection

John,

I know that you don't endorse your students to get patents for their
ideas. But, by reading their comments on this discussion board, I
gather that there are many people out there who are very concerned
about protecting their intellectual property.

Today, I had a very productive meeting with an attorney who
specializes in law pertaining to intellectual property, and I would
like to share his simple and cost effective "self-service" strategies
to protect your ideas:

1. FILE DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT [Cost: $10 + mail charges]:
When you conceive your idea, write a description of the product's
construction and utility, draw detailed diagrams, complete the
Disclosure Document, attach a check for $10 and mail the package to
the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This process is
the acceptance and preservation for two (2) years of the Disclosure
Document as evidence of the date of conception of an invention by the
USPTO.
Instructions: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/disdo.html
Form: http://www.uspto.gov/web/forms/sb0095.pdf

2. SIGN CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS [Cost: $0]:
Any time you talk to someone about your idea during development stage,
have him or her sign a confidentiality agreement.
Sample: http://www.bitlaw.com/forms/nda.html#Agreement

3. TRADEMARK BRAND NAME [Cost: $0]:
As soon as your product is manufactured and ready for sale, enter the
word "TM" next to your logo and brand name. This establishes your
rights in a mark based on legitimate use of the mark until you're
ready to register.
Instructions: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/tac/doc/basic/register.htm

4. FILE PROVISIONAL APPLICATION FOR PATENT [Cost: $215 to $330]
Once your product is ready for sale (not during development stage),
only then should you apply for Provisional Patent which provides
intellectual property protection for one (1) year. For the next twelve
months, do your best to sell millions of your product.
Instructions: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/provapp.htm
Application Form: http://www.uspto.gov/web/forms/sb0016_fill.pdf
Electronic Filing:
https://sportal.uspto.gov/secure/portal/efs-unregistered
"Small Entity" Fee Schedule:
http://www.uspto.gov/go/fees/fee2006apr05.htm#patapp

Once you are confident that your product is generating a steady
revenue stream within the first ten (10) months of selling, and only
then you should consider hiring an attorney to "File" the
Non-Provisional Patent application and "Register" your Trademark.
Please engage the service of an attorney two (2) months prior to the
expiration of your Provisional Patent; it takes them approximately
that long to complete the filing process. The cost of this service is
in thousands of dollars.

By the way, I feel obligated to mention that USPTO's website is one of
the worst and most confusing websites I've ever used. Hopefully, the
links that I've provided here will simplify finding the correct
information.

Best wishes,

Ismail Zehri
Las Vegas, NV


Thursday, April 27, 2006

China Currency and Trade

Folks,

I am in Hong Kong right now, taking care of a few things, more on that
anon. It is fun to watch the news here, and compare the free press in Hong
Kong and the Chinese State media, and compare the two. More on that later
also.

One thing that jumped out when I went into China the other day was the
street hustlers were trying to get RID of their USA currency. I've never
seen this before. Black marketers have always wanted to get INTO the US
dollar. The second time in, the bank at the train station simply had no
RMBY to exchange. "No more money" the sign said. If you plan to visit
China in the next year, you may want to load up on RMBY now... you can get
it from HSBC in USA.

If street hustlers are trying to get out of the dollar, the end is nearer
than I thought, although who knows what that will look like.

USA is pressuring China to make the Yuan more ewxpensive, so usa exports
are less expensive, and imports to usa are more expensive. Please
understand what this means: our government wants we consumers to fare less
well, to benefit a very small group of people, USA big biz, the republicans
friends (when the dems sweep congress this fall, their friends will start
to do better). Now, this is not debatable, it is not conspiracy, it is
just policy. And of course I object, for what it is worth.

The Chinese will change things when it best benefits them, but a couple of
points. Although the Hong Kong dollar is a free market currency, produced
by private companies, and properly so (three different companies print
currency in Hong Kong, and the three of them compete against each other...
with the Hong Kong govt issuing some vouchers as well... just like it used
to be in USA), the fact of the matter is Hong Kong is a fully owned
subsidiary of the Communist party, so they own it. Hong Kong represents
fantastic wealth and money flows. I've never heard anyone take this into
account when estimating Chinese econ power. I think the numbers US policy
makers are working with are wildly under-estimated.

US policy makers were shocked, shocked when the dollar strengthened against
the euro. "The currency markets misread us" say the policy wonks. At any
rate, the policy makers are admitting they do not have the control they
think they have.

Finally, I asked my banker in Hong Kong if I could use my hong kong money
to invest in hong kong stocks. No. The price of doing business in USA is
to cooperate with the US Govt in forbidding US citizens to protect
themselves against US econ policy. I object!

"May you live in interesting times" is a Chinese curse.

John


Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Export laundry (Anthony)

The issue of "foreign" labor in the EU is a bit complicated. Here is
the link for the import/export of laundry in Berlin:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4584616.stm

It works here because Berlin is close to the border.

The more important issue for the Germans is the use of "former east
block" (new accession countries)labor inside Germany which is
technically illegal. In reality Poles are traveling to Germany to work
in many industrires but are not paid in Germany. They work for a
Polish labor company, work in Germany and temporarily live in Germany
but their paycheck is issued in Poland. They are not well received in
many small towns.

England and Ireland did not adopt the labor restrictions Germany and
France did and are making good use of workers from Poland and the
Czech Republic. Most hospitality jobs in England and Ireland are now
taken by these temporary workers. This will change but only slowly.

The CZ Crown has gone from 40/USD to about 23/USD in the last four or
five years. They are catching up quickly.


Import Idea ...maybe

Re: [spiers] Import Idea ...maybe

Actually, rich people on the coasts send their sheets fedex to Michigan
where the water is purer and the air cleaner and real soap is used... if it
is your thing...give it a try...

John
On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 02:09:54 -0000, "mgranich" wrote :

> I've heard that large hotels in Germany send their laundry to be
> cleaned in Poland. You can find Polish workers that will do the
> laundry for 3Euro/hr while in Germany, the same worker will be paided
> 13Euro/hr. Evidently companies have sprung up that handle the
> transaction for the hotels, ie truck the laundry to and fro, keep
> track of it, etc.
>
> Could the same thing work for the US? Could hotels in Southern
> California, Arizona, Texas send their linen to Mexico to have it
> washed? If so, would you really be importing anything? After all,
> the same linen is going into Mexico as is coming out. Would there be
> any duties or other customs snags that would make it impractical?
>
> AND, does it have to stop at laundry? Could I send engines to Mexico,
> have them rebuilt, then bring them back to the US to be sold? How
> about auto body work?, How about having the hull on a boat scraped?
> etc... Just a thought.
>
> Anthony
>
>
>
>
>
> Compete on Design!
>
> www.johnspiers.com


Import Idea ...maybe

I've heard that large hotels in Germany send their laundry to be
cleaned in Poland. You can find Polish workers that will do the
laundry for 3Euro/hr while in Germany, the same worker will be paided
13Euro/hr. Evidently companies have sprung up that handle the
transaction for the hotels, ie truck the laundry to and fro, keep
track of it, etc.

Could the same thing work for the US? Could hotels in Southern
California, Arizona, Texas send their linen to Mexico to have it
washed? If so, would you really be importing anything? After all,
the same linen is going into Mexico as is coming out. Would there be
any duties or other customs snags that would make it impractical?

AND, does it have to stop at laundry? Could I send engines to Mexico,
have them rebuilt, then bring them back to the US to be sold? How
about auto body work?, How about having the hull on a boat scraped?
etc... Just a thought.

Anthony


We Pay Most for Medicine

Re: [spiers] We Pay Most for Medicine


John,

For some reason, I'm suspect of the accuracy and the motive this story
allegedly surfaces. Some of that may come from the media its in, the
Washington
Times. This is the same newspaper the first president Bush said is the only
newspaper he felt reported the truth.

Manny

In a message dated 4/4/2006 7:27:45 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
john@johnspiers.com writes:

http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20060402-112827-1934r.htm