The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has appointed Mary Boney Denison as Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Operations. In her new position, Denison will oversee the examination and processing of applications throughout the trademark operation.

Denison is a founding partner of Manelli Denison & Selter PLLC in Washington, D.C. where her practice has focused on trademark prosecution and litigation. She has been an active member of the 5,500 member International Trademark Association (INTA) for many years having served as a member of the INTA Board of Directors for three years; as Vice Chair and Chair of its Treaty Analysis Committee. In addition, she has served as Chair of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) subcommittee charged with representing the international trademark bar before the agency. The U.S. Secretary of Commerce appointed Denison to a three year term as a voting member of the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC) in October 2008.

Denison was selected as a “Washington DC Super Lawyer 2007,” placing her in the top 5 percent of Washington, D.C. area lawyers. She is a graduate of Duke University and the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Protecting your intellectual property rights is a complex business. If you suspect that your product might have been infringed, it may be advisable to rely on the expertise of an experienced IP rights lawyer to protect your rights. The Intellectual Property team at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin is headed by Attorney Tara J. Williams, a patent attorney with more than 20 years of legal experience. The firm also has a unique contingency based Intellectual Property Department for certain infringement matters. The department’s goal is to assist small-business owners, artists and inventors to protect their creative endeavors when they may not otherwise have the resources necessary to do so. Call 1-866-760-4047, for a free, confidential review of your potential claim – or simply complete the contact form on the side of this page.

In a recent issue of the Docket Navigator, the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, upheld the constitutionality of the false-marking statute of the US Patent Act.

A recent case reported in Docket Navigator, provides a good illustration of a potential basis a court may use to deny a case “for failure to state a claim.”

As reported in Docket Navigator, a US District Court excluded the testimony of an expert witness due to disagreement on patent claim construction that hinged on, among other things, the definition of the article “a.”

A recent case reported on in Docket Navigator, shows that blocking a transfer of venue request requires more than simply proving that the allegedly infringing product be sold within the initial judicial district.