UK pub fined because of customer's illegal filesharing

CNET picked up a scary story from its UK sister site ZDNet UK about a pub (that's English for bar) being dinged because a customer used its open WiFi network to download copyrighted material.

Questions about liability in an open internet connection plague us on this side of the Atlantic, too. Copyright holders have put pressure on Internet Service Providers to police the users on their networks; current copyright law in the US limits the liability of service providers.

It will be interesting to see if Internet cafes (or pubs) will begin to either close their networks or stop offering them altogether as a result of this action.

A holiday-themed trademark search lesson

Many of the folks who visit our reference desk to learn about trademark searching are interested in searching logos, which is why this year I'm thankful that the USPTO has provided us with the ingenious trademark design search code scheme.

Images are an subject where keyword searching often fails us. Here's the relatively simple procedure for finding designs in TESS, the USPTO's trademark database:

1. Point your browser to the Design Search Code Manual.
2. Click the link for keyword search, then type in a search term describing your logo.
3. If there's a match, jot down the number given for your design type.
4. Access TESS by clicking on Search Marks at the Trademark homepage. Choose either the structured search or the free form search.
   
5. Type in the design code number, plus any other search terms, in the search form. (In structured search, choose design code in the dropdown menu for the field you're using; in the advanced search, use the [DC] field code.

Another useful image-searching tip is to click on the blue "Images" button on the TESS results page. This will bring up a table allowing you to browse images.

If you want to practice over the holiday, I recommend trying Design Search Code 03.15.05. Gobble Gobble!

Trademark Intro at SFPL 10/21 3-4

FYI, here's an upcoming class at SFPL on Saturday, November 21 from 3-4 in the Fifth Floor Training Center:

A trademark search can reveal much valuable information for people hoping to protect a business or product name, those who already have a mark and wish to defend, and for those seeking information about new products and services that may be entering the marketplace. In this class, we will discuss basic facts about trademarks; some fundamentals of conducting a trademark search using the US Patent and Trademark Office website; and information about finding and using SFPL trademark resources.

Taking a look at the New USPTO Website: The "How do I?" menu

There's an argument among librarians about whether it is best to identify information sources on websites and in physical spaces by their proper names or to identify them based on the type of questions that might bring a person to that source. Should we put a sign on the reference desk that says "reference desk" or should the sign say "ask?" On the website, should the link say "databases" or should it say "find articles here?" The concern we're trying to address is that jargon, of which there is much in libraries, is a barrier to navigating the library.

The correct answer is probably a combination of the two, based on the situation. (For instance, catalog could be considered low-grade jargon, but it seems to be the best noun to describe what it is, so why not call it the catalog but use the verb search or something along those lines. I'm sure you're all fascinated with this hot debate.)

The new USPTO employs the FAQ-style technique to great effect in the new "How do I..." menu at the right-hand corner of the webpage header. They've taken a list of the most common tasks that people accessing the site wish to complete and linked information about how to complete those tasks. It aids navigation through an enormous site, addresses common information needs, and includes a link to a list of PTDL libraries. Perfect!

Taking a look at the new USPTO website: Patents and Trademarks process

I've eaten the same lunch (peanut butter sandwich and a piece of fruit) pretty much every day for almost 20 years now. I haven't changed shampoo brands (a certain discount brand's coconut scent) since I left for college. I can't say that I have a favorite album, movie, or book, but I've probably listened to Exile on Main Street on average about once a month since I was ten, seen Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome a couple of times a year since about that age, and I've reread East of Eden, flawed though it may be, more than any other book, probably half a dozen times.

I would consider none of these items my favorite in their respective categories; my point is that I have a tendency to find something that works and then get really comfortable with it. So when the USPTO changed their website, I had a brief period of curiosity and excitement followed by a state of confusion. The previous website was certainly far from "user friendly," but, by golly, it was familiar. I had learned the complicated ritual of clicks and scrolls required to get to, for instance, the Index to the USPC, or the Design Code Search Manual.

Here's the point of all of the above navel-gazing: the new website is much better organized, and it has retained some of the best parts of the old while introducing some vast improvements. While I'm gradually getting accustomed to it, I plan to highlight in this space some of the new features (or old features that were previously buried) that work well.

The first really cool new features are two handy lists called Patents Process and The Trademark Process. The folks at the PTO have taken the very complicated processes of applying for patents or trademarks and broken them down into five and nine steps, respectively.

Exhaustive it ain't. But what these lists are is a starting point, complete with links to the relevant tools and search guides. These lists make dealing with the USPTO seem doable, which is very valuable for small entities. For me, this means a new resource for library patrons who are just about ready to dive into the weird and wonderful world of intellectual property.