This week, we are pleased to have a guest post from John Cordani. John is a member of Robinson+Cole’s Manufacturing Industry Team and regularly counsels clients on intellectual property issues involving patent procurement, licensing, and litigation. It is no secret that the competitive edge of U.S.-based manufacturers is often predicated, at least in large part, on technological innovation … Continue Reading
Manufacturers generally understand the importance of utility patents and branding in protecting their creations from unfair competition and confusion of their customers. But the power of the design patent sometimes goes overlooked. While the United States Patent Office has issued over ten million numbered utility patents, it has not yet reached the one-million-mark on design … Continue Reading
The United States Treasury Department came out with a report last week that concludes that business email compromises (BEC) are costing U.S. companies more than $301 million per month. The report confirms that the two industries hit the hardest by these scams are manufacturing and construction. The report, issued by the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement … Continue Reading
Inogen, which manufactures portable oxygen devices, has alerted the Securities and Exchange Commission in a recent filing that it is notifying 30,000 individuals that their personal information was compromised when a hacker gained access to one of its employees’ email accounts through a phishing scheme.… Continue Reading
On October 3, 2016, the National Labor Relations Board’s (Board) Office of the General Counsel (General Counsel) issued a memorandum seeking to broaden a union’s right to engage in intermittent strikes, which it defines as multiple short-term strikes—“a plan to strike, return to work and strike again.” The memorandum addresses the issue because unions have … Continue Reading
The 2016 Manufacturing Report by Sikich finds that there has been a progressive growth in cyber-attacks in the manufacturing sector. This is consistent with the most recent IBM /X-Force Research 2016 Cyber Security Intelligence Index, which notes that the manufacturing industry represents the second most attacked industry, just behind health care. Manufacturing companies often don’t … Continue Reading
