All posts by: Lawrence Husick

About Lawrence Husick

Dear Doc: What’s the latest scoop on lawyers using generative artificial intelligence in their work? Signed,ChatGPT Dear Chat: What Happened in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia Case? File this under “stupid lawyer tricks.” In the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man deported to a Salvadoran prison by (the U.S. Government’s own admission) a mistake, it […]

Dear Doc: I hear that courts are once again trying to crack down on “patent trolls.” What is a patent troll, and why should courts try to squash them? Signed,Under a Bridge Dear UB: Patents are called “intellectual property” in much the same way as land is called “real property” and your car is “personal […]

Dear Doc: Some things are protected by trademarks. Some by copyrights. Some by “trade dress”. Others by design patents. Some by utility patents. And others by trade secrets. How do you lawyers decide which is which, and can it be more than one? Signed, Confused Again Dear CA: Yes…this can be confusing, and often the stakes […]

Dear Doc: Every time I read about some new case being decided by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, I get more confused about what exactly is the patent (or trademark) law that they are using. What gives? Signed,Dazed and Confused Dear D&C: It seems to the Ol’ Doc that over the past […]

Dear Doc: I have heard that there is an intellectual property right called the “right to publicity.” What is that and how does it work? Signed, Prime Woman Dear PW: Here is a HYPOTHETICAL that will answer your question about publicity rights… President-Elect Donald Trump will try to sell just about anything he can put his […]

Dear Doc: Digital readers such as the Kindle have become the way that many people borrow books from the public library. It’s like going to the library digitally: you have to wait for a copy to become available, and you can “take it out” for a limited time, after which it disappears from your device. […]

Dear Doc: I know this question is not about intellectual property, but I hear that you’ve been lecturing about privacy recently, and I wonder if you’ve heard about Flock license plate readers and a lawsuit claiming that they violate the Fourth Amendment. Signed, Creeped Out Dear Creeped: Yup! The “Doc” has given lectures at many […]

Dear Doc: What is the strangest form of intellectual property protection you’ve ever run across? Signed,Ronald McD. Dear Ronald: Without a doubt, the most unusual form of protection of an idea or expression is the Clown Egg Register in Wookey Hole, England (the “Register”). The Doc is indebted to David Fagundes and Aaron Perzanowski and […]