Gardner Groff - Intellectual Property Law Attorneys

05/16/2023

Congrats to GG&G attorney Zac Mason on passing the Georgia Bar Exam! Zac was already a member of the Tennessee Bar and a registered Patent Attorney with the US Patent & Trademark Office, and has bachelors and masters degrees in aerospace engineering.

Zac Mason specializes in IP prosecution.

04/05/2023

If you haven’t heard, the US Patent & Trademark Office begins electronic patent grants on April 18. Patent eGrants may issue quicker than applicants are accustomed to, so best practice is to file any continuing applications prior to paying the issue fee so as not to jeopardize copendency.

Updated forms for USPTO's transition to eGrants from paper patents United States Patent and Trademark Office sent this bulletin at 03/16/2023 03:51 PM EDT Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. USPTO Alert Updated forms for USPTO's transition to eGrants from paper patents On April...

02/02/2023

https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/protect/spoofing-phone-numbers?utm_campaign=subscriptioncenter&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

Be on the lookout -- Scammers have recently started calling trademark customers and falsely claiming to be an employee with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The scammers use "spoofing" to trick phone networks into displaying a name, number, and location on caller ID different from their actual name, number, and location (falsely indicating the call is from the Trademark Office). They’re trying to trick you into believing you’re talking to the USPTO, so they can steal money or personal information from you.

If you receive a call, email or paper mail from someone you suspect is a scammer, do not give them any personal identifying or payment information. The USPTO will never ask for your personal or payment information over the phone.

If you filed your trademark application through our firm or another attorney, any real communications from the Trademark Office should normally go to your attorney of record. So be very suspicious of any communications coming directly to you. It's also a good idea to warn your accounts payable department to be on the lookout for scam mail or email that looks like an invoice from the Trademark Office.

Customers receiving calls from individuals impersonating the USPTO may be victims of a spoofing scam.

01/22/2023

GG&G Partner Daniel Hong discussing nuances of state and federal trademark law at the State Bar of Georgia midyear meeting.

12/21/2022

Getting in the holiday spirit with the Atlanta IP Inn of Court making hygiene kits to help Hope Atlanta!

11/24/2022

Happy Thanksgiving from GG&G!
We’re thankful for the dedicated people on our team and for our great clients’ continued trust with their IP matters.
Happy holidays!

10/11/2022

Always a good time supporting the Georgia Lawyers for the Arts Annual Gala!
https://glarts.org/2022-annual-gala/

01/28/2022

For anyone following the long-running saga of the European Patent Court and EU Unitary Patents, it looks like the state ratifications are in place and the system may be operational by the second half of 2022.

Austria was the first Member State to ratify the UPC Agreement and yesterday the loop was closed when it deposited its instrument of ratification of

09/17/2021

Trademark owners often receive scam solicitations that may look like they are from the US Patent & Trademark Office, but really aren't. It's good to see some of these scammers being brought to justice and sent to prison. If you worked with an attorney to register your trademark, anything legit from the Trademark Office should be communicated through that attorney. If you receive something you're not sure about, check with your attorney before paying something that might be a scam.

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office District of South Carolina FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, September 15, 2021 Latvian National Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Federal Prison, Ordered to Pay Over $4.5M in Restitution after Defrauding Millions from Patent and Trademark Mail Fraud Sch...

10/23/2020

Whether you’re a dog lover, a whiskey connoisseur, a fan of sophomoric scatological humor, or just a trademark geek, this case seems to have something for everyone! It’s up on petition for cert to the Supreme Court - this will be an interesting one to watch.

A legal battle over a squeaky rubber bottle of whiskey has been ensuing since 2014.

09/13/2020

Your passion led you to where you are right now. Make sure your invention and property stays protected by making sure you have the patent law and trademark you need.

09/11/2020

Gardner Groff is here. We're here to assist with clients in procuring and maintaining intellectual property rights, enforcing those rights through litigation and alternate forms of dispute resolution, maximizing the value of their intellectual property through licensing and transactional counseling, and minimizing risk via opinion practice and design-around assistance. Simply put, we're here for you. www.gardnergroff.com

Gardner Groff is a boutique IP firm specializing in patents, trademarks, copyrights, & litigation. Located east of the new Braves Stadium north of Atlanta.