Murphy Intellectual Property

As of January 2017 we have expanded our services to include the San Francisco Bay Area. We have a new temporary location in Palo Alto and are looking forward to working with new emerging technology companies.

A great idea to help get San Diego start-ups funded!

The possibility of a Copyright Small Claims Court was proposed last year and has the potential to deal with the enormous problem of copyright infringement here in the U.S. One issue is the limitation on monetary damages that the court would be authorized to award, recommended to be $30,000.00. It would be particularly appealing to copyright claimants, as submissions would be electronic and hearings would be conducted through telecommunications facilities. Injunctions and other equitable relief would also be available, assuming that the recommendations found in the Report of the Register of Copyrights are followed. http://buff.ly/1lsc2Av

U.S. Women are starting 1200 businesses per day, on average, up from an average of 740 per day the year prior. Unfortunately, women owned businesses still start off, on average, with less funding. http://buff.ly/1tug2kF

Personal Audio (referred to as a patent troll in popular media) sued Adam Carolla in 2013 for patent infringement of Personal Audio's podcasting patent. Not clear whether Personal Audio felt its position was weak, or whether it discovered that Mr. Carolla (known for being one of the most, if not the most, successful podcaster) wasn't earning enough from the allegedly infringing conduct to make the litigation worthwhile. By settling, Carolla loses the opportunity to defeat the patent in court (which would be a benefit for other defendants with less funding). On the other hand, EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) is continuing with its challenge to Personal Audio in front of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. http://buff.ly/1p6mZIh

Abercrombie and Fitch files Opposition against registration of the trademark EAST ABERCORN CLOTHING COMPANY when used in connection with clothing and related items. An interesting case, as Abercorn is actually the name of a place in Scotland, Texas and Georgia (at least). Abercrombie and Fitch are very active in protecting their marks, filing over 25 Trademark Oppositions already in 2014. Here is the Opposition filing: http://buff.ly/XKjbBx

Entrepreneurship was the answer for Matt Cottle, an autistic man who struggled to find a niche in the world. After being turned down for a variety of jobs, he's started his own business, the Stuttering King Bakery : http://buff.ly/1tc6VFb