From: Jeffrey Sussman, Inc.
Marketing Public Relations
249 East 48 Street FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY 10017

For: Offit Kurman

Contact: Jeffrey Sussman
212-421-4475
[email protected]
www.powerpublicity.com

OFFIT KURMAN ATTORNEY, JONATHAN WACHS,

ISSUES AUGUST UPDATE

ABOUT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Maple Lawn, MD --- Jonathan Wachs, a principal in the mid-Atlantic law firm of Offit Kurman and head of its Intellectual Property Group, has compiled his most recent important IP news from his weekly blog, Friday Factoids. Below are the issues that Mr. Wachs has chosen:

For July 4, 2014:
The Walt Disney Company holds a patent on a precision fireworks display system that creates a reduced environmental impact.
Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US5339741?printsec=abstract&dq=5,339,741#v=onepage&q=5%2C339%2C741&f=false
For July 11, 2014:
The USPTO regularly issues patents to inventors who create products for which there is an uncertain market demand. For example, it issued patents for outdoor pet bathrooms with running water, edible business cards, a single user see-saw and nicotine-infused coffee.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-15-funniest-patents-ever-issued-2011-3#flush-dog-poop-with-an-outdoor-pet-potty-that-hooks-up-to-your-sewer-system-2.


For July 18, 2014:
On April 13, 2014, former San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman sued Nike for trademark infringement relating to Nike’s use of his nickname LIGHTS OUT. Merriman owns a USPTO registration to use the term LIGHTS OUT in connection with clothing. Nike now uses a LIGHTS OUT mark in connection with its own apparel line.

Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/220155343/LightsOutHoldingsVNike-Complaint?secret_password=2m0icdep8gncmz660qke
For July 25, 2014:
On May 31, 2014, the Trustee for the Estate of Randy Craig Wolfe (the lead singer for the rock group Spirit) filed a copyright lawsuit claiming that Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven (which was released in 1971) infringes upon Spirit’s Taurus (which was released in 1968).
Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd8AVbwB_6E (for an audio clip of Taurus); http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/heres-lawsuit-claiming-led-zeppelin-708742
About Offit Kurman:
Offit Kurman is the fastest-growing, commercial law firm in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It has offices in Baltimore/Washington; Bethesda, Frederick, Maple Lawn, and Owings Mills, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Tysons Corner, Virginia; and Wilmington, Delaware. The firm’s website is http://www.offitkurman.com

-30-