I am going to Xerox this and put some around the office.

My wife has been killing it in a slow cooker lately. Sausage and sauce for spaghetti done in a slow cooker is beyond good.

/tampax

It is hard to take a journalist seriously when they write "my husband and me." What happened to basic grammar?

Tobin_Lam: It is hard to take a journalist seriously when they write "my husband and me." What happened to basic grammar?

On an unrelated note, where did this smart and funny buttons on posts come from? They were not here a thread ago...

"Band-aids are a brand name. The correct term is 'adhesive strip'. Brand name association gives companies an unfair advantage and is one of the more subtle threats to the economy, and I'm just trying to do my part to even out the field."

- Randal Graves

Tobin_Lam: It is hard to take a journalist seriously when they write "my husband and me." What happened to basic grammar?


"is going to hit my nostrils and make my husband happy, hungry..."
"is going to hit my nostrils and make me happy, hungry..."

I dunno, it looks okay to me.

Aspirin
Styrofoam
Roller-Blades
Velcro
Tobasco
Chapstick
Heroin
Jungle Gym
Escalator

JNowe: Tobin_Lam: It is hard to take a journalist seriously when they write "my husband and me." What happened to basic grammar?


"is going to hit my nostrils and make my husband happy, hungry..."
"is going to hit my nostrils and make me happy, hungry..."

I dunno, it looks okay to me.

Okay, except for the part about it hitting HER nostrils and making her husband happy. That makes no sense.

Interesting?

Fark needs a bored into a coma tag

One is a device, the other is a trademark

JNowe: Tobin_Lam: It is hard to take a journalist seriously when they write "my husband and me." What happened to basic grammar?


"is going to hit my nostrils and make my husband happy, hungry..."
"is going to hit my nostrils and make me happy, hungry..."

I dunno, it looks okay to me.

I really do wish it worked that way but I've always been taught "my ____ and I" even though it doesn't really make any sense.

Jake Havechek: "Band-aids are a brand name. The correct term is 'adhesive strip'. Brand name association gives companies an unfair advantage and is one of the more subtle threats to the economy, and I'm just trying to do my part to even out the field."

- Randal Graves

There was a comedian I saw 15 years or so ago who made fun of this point. He said "Nobody in the world hurt themselves and asks 'can you get me an adhesive strip'? The president of Curad cuts his finger and says 'Dammit! Gimme a band-aid!"

Public radio and NPR...

Sheetrock

Tobin_Lam: JNowe: Tobin_Lam: It is hard to take a journalist seriously when they write "my husband and me." What happened to basic grammar?


"is going to hit my nostrils and make my husband happy, hungry..."
"is going to hit my nostrils and make me happy, hungry..."

I dunno, it looks okay to me.

I really do wish it worked that way but I've always been taught "my ____ and I" even though it doesn't really make any sense.

It depends on where the phrase occurs in the sentence.


And while I won't be home from work until about 8pm tonight, when I open the door, that simmering pot of chicken is going to hit my nostrils and make my husband and me happy, hungry, giddy and really well-fed in the time it takes to grab a couple of forks and dishes.

In this case, the phrase is the object of the verb 'make'. 'Me' is an object pronoun, and therefore correct in this case.

'My husband and I' would be used as the subject of a clause.

JNowe: Okay, except for the part about it hitting HER nostrils and making her husband happy. That makes no sense.

It's awkward, but still correct. The subject of the clause is the 'simmering pot of chicken', which does two things: 'hit my nostrils' and 'make my husband and me happy'. The two don't have to be related.

I'm going to stop now, except to say that I think I want to make some pot roast..

JNowe: Okay, except for the part about it hitting HER nostrils and making her husband happy.

Something, something blowjob joke, something.

What a crockpot.

I love my crockpot. It's practically impossible to fark up and not end with something delicious.

Every time I start a new subject in law school, a parallel story crops up. Like Band-Aid, I'll bet Crockpot is becoming a generic name for slow-cookers and runs the risk of losing its trademark protection.

Any IP lawyers out there care to chime in? Is becoming a household generic term enough to lose incontestability after the five year initial window? The way I read Lanham §15, becoming generic is an exception to the incontestability rule.

can someone post some recipes?

"What is a chafing dish for?"

"Why, it's a traditional serving piece used at brunches to keep food warm."

"I thought that was a Crockpot."

"No, no, no. That's for cooking all day."

Crockpot: method of turning all sorts of food into something brown.

Macinfarker: Every time I start a new subject in law school, a parallel story crops up. Like Band-Aid, I'll bet Crockpot is becoming a generic name for slow-cookers and runs the risk of losing its trademark protection.

Any IP lawyers out there care to chime in? Is becoming a household generic term enough to lose incontestability after the five year initial window?

Yes.

The way I read Lanham §15, becoming generic is an exception to the incontestability rule.

You're right. Here's the relevant bits:
Sec. 15 (§1065). Incontestability of right to use mark under certain conditions
Except on a ground for which application to cancel may be filed at any time under paragraphs (3) and (5) of section 14 of this Act [15 USC 1064(3), (5)]... the right of the registrant to use such registered mark in commerce for the goods or services on or in connection with which such registered mark has been in continuous use for five consecutive years subsequent to the date of such registration and is still in use in commerce, shall be incontestable

So, check out paragraph 3 of sec. 14:
§1064. Cancelation of registration
A petition to cancel a registration of a mark, stating the grounds relied upon, may, upon payment of the prescribed fee, be filed ...
(3) At any time if the registered mark becomes the generic name for the goods or services, or a portion thereof, for which it is registered...

Become generic, and the mark is dead.

You could also have gone to sec. 15(4):
(4) no incontestable right shall be acquired in a mark which is the generic name for the goods or services or a portion thereof, for which it is registered.

tryfailure: "What is a chafing dish for?"

"Why, it's a traditional serving piece used at brunches to keep food warm."

"I thought that was a Crockpot."

"No, no, no. That's for cooking all day."

Be careful, for Christ's sake! This is Corningware!

Thanks for chiming in Theaetetus!...I see from your profile you are a patent attorney...had I stayed in Pittsburgh for two more years I'd be able to pursue patent work, but unless I take the generic tech test (in Chicago, I think), I wouldn't qualify for the patent bar because I didn't finish my 2nd bach in CS.

I have an extensive music and IT development background, so IP is definitely on my list of possible career paths...plus living near Nashville exposes me to a wide market. Any wisdom to offer on getting into IP law?

Theaetetus: Macinfarker: Every time I start a new subject in law school, a parallel story crops up. Like Band-Aid, I'll bet Crockpot is becoming a generic name for slow-cookers and runs the risk of losing its trademark protection.

Any IP lawyers out there care to chime in? Is becoming a household generic term enough to lose incontestability after the five year initial window?

Yes.

The way I read Lanham §15, becoming generic is an exception to the incontestability rule.

You're right. Here's the relevant bits:
Sec. 15 (§1065). Incontestability of right to use mark under certain conditions
Except on a ground for which application to cancel may be filed at any time under paragraphs (3) and (5) of section 14 of this Act [15 USC 1064(3), (5)]... the right of the registrant to use such registered mark in commerce for the goods or services on or in connection with which such registered mark has been in continuous use for five consecutive years subsequent to the date of such registration and is still in use in commerce, shall be incontestable

So, check out paragraph 3 of sec. 14:
§1064. Cancelation of registration
A petition to cancel a registration of a mark, stating the grounds relied upon, may, upon payment of the prescribed fee, be filed ...
(3) At any time if the registered mark becomes the generic name for the goods or services, or a portion thereof, for which it is registered...

Become generic, and the mark is dead.

You could also have gone to sec. 15(4):
(4) no incontestable right shall be acquired in a mark which is the generic name for the goods or services or a portion thereof, for which it is registered.

Could I get that in dumb guy speak, please?

zez: can someone post some recipes?

Fark needs a food page

Macinfarker: Thanks for chiming in Theaetetus!...I see from your profile you are a patent attorney...had I stayed in Pittsburgh for two more years I'd be able to pursue patent work, but unless I take the generic tech test (in Chicago, I think), I wouldn't qualify for the patent bar because I didn't finish my 2nd bach in CS.

I have an extensive music and IT development background, so IP is definitely on my list of possible career paths...plus living near Nashville exposes me to a wide market. Any wisdom to offer on getting into IP law?

Yes - go for patent law. There are few to no jobs elsewhere, but since patent law requires the technical or scientific background, there's a much smaller pool of applicants than there is in soft IP.
Take the FE test. I did, for much the same reasons. Once you get your reg number, people won't care about your undergrad degree so much.

And finally, switch to night school and start working as a technical specialist (and once you get your number, patent agent). It's the easiest way to get hired at a big firm, since you're doing the exact same work, but only cost half as much, and then the transition to associate is easy. I took the bar this past summer, and I'm now a third year associate with no debt. :)

Theaetetus: And finally, switch to night school and start working as a technical specialist (and once you get your number, patent agent).

I actually am going to night school, and working IT full time during the day. How does one become a "technical specialist"? I've never even heard the term...

Jake Havechek: "Band-aids are a brand name. The correct term is 'adhesive strip'. Brand name association gives companies an unfair advantage and is one of the more subtle threats to the economy, and I'm just trying to do my part to even out the field."

- Randal Graves

The funny thing is that piggybacking off a brand name is beneficial to all the also rans

Macinfarker: Theaetetus: And finally, switch to night school and start working as a technical specialist (and once you get your number, patent agent).

I actually am going to night school, and working IT full time during the day. How does one become a "technical specialist"? I've never even heard the term...

A "Technical Specialist," sometimes called a "Staff Scientist" is someone who drafts and prosecutes patents (and occasionally does litigation support) under the supervision of a patent attorney... in other words, same thing as a patent agent, but they don't get to use their own reg number since they haven't got one.
Since a tech spec makes about 2/3rds of what a first year associate makes, they're cheap, so firms love them.

Check big firms in your area that do IP. At least one, possibly several, will have tech spec programs. And apply now. Unlike associates and the whole summer-associate, on-campus interview crap, there's no annual hiring cycle. We just hired a new patent agent yesterday, in fact.

PizzaJedi81: Theaetetus:

You're right. Here's the relevant bits:
Sec. 15 (§1065). Incontestability of right to use mark under certain conditions
Except on a ground for which application to cancel may be filed at any time under paragraphs (3) and (5) of section 14 of this Act [15 USC 1064(3), (5)]... the right of the registrant to use such registered mark in commerce for the goods or services on or in connection with which such registered mark has been in continuous use for five consecutive years subsequent to the date of such registration and is still in use in commerce, shall be incontestable

So, check out paragraph 3 of sec. 14:
§1064. Cancelation of registration
A petition to cancel a registration of a mark, stating the grounds relied upon, may, upon payment of the prescribed fee, be filed ...
(3) At any time if the registered mark becomes the generic name for the goods or services, or a portion thereof, for which it is registered...

Become generic, and the mark is dead.

You could also have gone to sec. 15(4):
(4) no incontestable right shall be acquired in a mark which is the generic name for the goods or services or a portion thereof, for which it is registered.

Could I get that in dumb guy speak, please?

The way I understand this, a trademark (that is, a word/phrase/logo/etc that identifies a product with its source of origin), once registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office and in continuous use for five years, becomes "incontestable" provided certain actions are taken.

Incontestable, at its outset, means that a trademark's registration is conclusive of its validity and distinctiveness, and cannot be challenged on those grounds. However, the Lanham Act (federal trademark law) outlines several "defenses" in which an incontestable trademark may be challenged.

One of the "defenses" is that the name has become a generic substitute for the product itself. For example, as mentioned before, the mark "Kleenex" has become synonymous with facial tissues, so that even if you are buying a different brand, you are still referring to it as Kleenex.

I don't know if it's been litigated, but if a court were to find that Kleenex has become a generic mark, the Kleenex company would no longer have the exclusive rights to use the word Kleenex on its facial tissue products.

I think I have that right :P I'm not a lawyer yet but am currently studying Trademark law.

Theaetetus: Macinfarker: Theaetetus: And finally, switch to night school and start working as a technical specialist (and once you get your number, patent agent).

I actually am going to night school, and working IT full time during the day. How does one become a "technical specialist"? I've never even heard the term...

A "Technical Specialist," sometimes called a "Staff Scientist" is someone who drafts and prosecutes patents (and occasionally does litigation support) under the supervision of a patent attorney... in other words, same thing as a patent agent, but they don't get to use their own reg number since they haven't got one.
Since a tech spec makes about 2/3rds of what a first year associate makes, they're cheap, so firms love them.

Check big firms in your area that do IP. At least one, possibly several, will have tech spec programs. And apply now. Unlike associates and the whole summer-associate, on-campus interview crap, there's no annual hiring cycle. We just hired a new patent agent yesterday, in fact.

Wow, that is great advice. Thank you so very much! I will get right on it...know any good patent firms in Nashville?

Macinfarker: Theaetetus: Macinfarker: Theaetetus: And finally, switch to night school and start working as a technical specialist (and once you get your number, patent agent).

I actually am going to night school, and working IT full time during the day. How does one become a "technical specialist"? I've never even heard the term...

A "Technical Specialist," sometimes called a "Staff Scientist" is someone who drafts and prosecutes patents (and occasionally does litigation support) under the supervision of a patent attorney... in other words, same thing as a patent agent, but they don't get to use their own reg number since they haven't got one.
Since a tech spec makes about 2/3rds of what a first year associate makes, they're cheap, so firms love them.

Check big firms in your area that do IP. At least one, possibly several, will have tech spec programs. And apply now. Unlike associates and the whole summer-associate, on-campus interview crap, there's no annual hiring cycle. We just hired a new patent agent yesterday, in fact.

Wow, that is great advice. Thank you so very much! I will get right on it...know any good patent firms in Nashville?

I didn't think there was anything good in Nashville, period.

Theaetetus: I didn't think there was anything good in Nashville, period.

Ha....outside the touristy stuff, Nashville is a little oasis of hope for us non-TN natives. I think it's the only district in TN that consistently votes non-derp every election. Because of the Music City realm, there are many entertainment law firms here, and some high profile estate/divorce firms.

Then again, some folks are trying to get the city council to pass an ordinance allowing the raising of chickens in one's back yard.

this thread took me a long time to read on my iPad outside. (Not too worry, I'm wearing twittens (new window).)

Hardy-r-r: zez: can someone post some recipes?

Fark needs a food page

I've had the same thought for some time now.

brigid_fitch: rudemix: My wife has been killing it in a slow cooker lately. Sausage and sauce for spaghetti done in a slow cooker is beyond good.

Slow cookers are like magic. Throw a bunch of ingredients in it in the morning, come home to a fully cooked meal.

/Made lentil & kielbasa stew in mine yesterday.

When the Mrs. broke it out about a month ago and said she was going to make cooking easier for her on a day to day basis, and still be enjoyable and healthy meals my mind wandered back to my mother using a Crockpot in the mid 70s and everything being kind of brownish and beefy. It wasn't all bad, just very similar. Fortunately my wife has been hitting all the more common food ethnicities and still doing good Americana stuff and a couple even more odd things. True vinegar brined saurbraten(sp?) with purple cabbage and potatoes done in a crockpot was to die for. The gingersnap gravy even better on it.

Her best find was some-odd, five ingredient slow-cooker book that has been simple for her to prep and use, remains very healthy and tastes of the goodness of the food put in.

I'm not sure if this is just a winter thing, some of the dishes might not be great summer meals as their very heavy, hearty and hot, but if it is just for winter, I'll have at least one reason to look forward to next winter.

Tobin_Lam: JNowe: Tobin_Lam: It is hard to take a journalist seriously when they write "my husband and me." What happened to basic grammar?


"is going to hit my nostrils and make my husband happy, hungry..."
"is going to hit my nostrils and make me happy, hungry..."

I dunno, it looks okay to me.

I really do wish it worked that way but I've always been taught "my ____ and I" even though it doesn't really make any sense.

A lot of people have been taught that, and they've been taught incorrectly. It's a linguistic/grammatic error called Hypercorrection (new window)

In 7th grade home ec I was taught never ever to use a slow cooker or you'll get food poisoning and die.

Thanks a lot, 7th grade home ec.