Hovey Williams LLP

Today we celebrate the end of slavery in the United States and honor the resilience and strength of Black Americans. Let us continue to strive for justice and equality for all.

On this Memorial Day, all of us at Hovey thank our brave men and women of the armed forces for their service.

Hovey had a blast serving as a hole sponsor at the BioKansas golf tournament today at Ironhorse. Thank you to everyone who stopped to chat with us at Hole 1. It was great to see familiar faces and meet new connections.

Congratulations to Chandler Schmidt and Team Hovey for a strong finish on the course today!

The Earth is our common home. Let's all do our part to ensure a greener, more sustainable future. Happy Earth Day!

Hovey is pleased to serve as a program sponsor for LAKC's 15th Annual IP CLE Program. Our own Blair Barbieri and Chandler Schmidt will be presenting "Enforcement through Amazon and Online Retailers." There is still time to register - link below for more information and to register!

https://www.lakc.net/event-5528302

Hovey proudly sponsored the UMKC Law Annual Diversity Banquet on March 14th at the Monarch Room in Kansas City. Partners Cheryl Burbach and Blair Barbieri represented Hovey at the event. Thank you to the UMKC Law Diverse Student Coalition for hosting a great event!

Our very own Tom Luebbering presented a CLE titled "Can Intellectual Property Law Rein in AI?" to nearly 200 attorneys at the Johnson County Bar Association Bench/Bar Conference yesterday. This timely CLE covered the basics of AI models, how AI is testing the norms of patent and copyright practice, and what to expect in the future.

If you missed Tom's CLE presentation yesterday, you can catch him presenting again on May 17 at the Wichita Bar Association or on June 7 for the Topeka Bar Association.

We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Rachel Nichols. Rachel has been a longtime legal assistant at Hovey, but more importantly, she is Hovey family. She will be dearly missed by all of us.

Our office will close early this Friday (March 22) at 11 am, so that all Hovey employees can attend Rachel's memorial service. We will reopen for regular business hours on Monday, March 25.

We extend our deepest condolences to Rachel's family and friends.

Happy International Women's Day! Today we honor our women attorneys, agents, and staff who make us world leaders in IP practice. Hovey surpasses the national average for women in partnership and firm leadership. We are grateful for your dedication to advancing women in the profession.

It's the end of an era. After 22 years at Hovey, Aunie Haupt is retiring. Aunie served as our chief administrative assistant. We will miss her laughter and enthusiasm around the office, but we wish her the best as she enters the next phase of her life journey. Happy Retirement, Aunie!

Partner Tom B. Luebbering has authored an article on the recently released USPTO guidance regarding AI, inventorship, and patentability.

"The guidance acknowledges the challenges in determining inventorship for AI-assisted inventions, particularly when the inventive process involves collaborations between humans and AI systems. It encourages patent applicants to provide detailed explanations of the roles played by both humans and AI systems in the inventive process when filing patent applications."

Read Tom's latest update on our website.

USPTO Provides Guidance for Inventorship Determination of AI-Assisted Inventions | Hovey Williams LLP The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) incentivizes the creation and protection of valuable new technologies by awarding limited monopolies to inventors via patents. Some inventors are now taking advantage of the enormous potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with their....

Congratulations to our partner, Tracy Bornman, for being named to the Missouri Lawyers Media TOP 100 POWER LIST. Read more about Tracy's inclusion in the 2023 list here: https://www.hoveywilliams.com/news/

Happy Valentine's Day! Here at Hovey, we celebrated with a puppygram from Great Plains SPCA. Thanks for the puppy snuggles!

Celebrating Mardi Gras with King Cakes!

Thomas Jennings is believed to be the first African American patent holder. Jennings was granted a patent in 1821 for his method of dry cleaning.

To learn more about Jennings, check out this article from Emily Matchar at Smithsonian Magazine.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/first-african-american-hold-patent-invented-dry-scouring-180971394/

Throughout the month of February on our social media, we will recognize the historic achievements of Black inventors. We will also highlight a new generation of Black innovators and creatives who are shaping our history and culture. Join us as we celebrate Black History Month.

We are pleased to announce Dianne Smith-Misemer has been elected to partnership. Learn more about Dianne's commitment to protecting the brands of her clients.
https://www.hoveywilliams.com/blog/2024/01/hovey-williams-llp-elects-new-partner/

Today at Hovey, we are proud to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream for equality.

https://www.hoveywilliams.com/blog/2024/01/beware-trademark-scam/

Client Alert: Beware of Trademark Scam Solicitations | Hovey Williams LLP Recently, there has been a rise in trademark scam solicitations sent from private companies targeting new trademark applicants. This article provides an overview of recent trends that we are seeing in trademark scam solicitations and provides helpful tips to avoid becoming a victim of these sophisti...

Thankful for our staff, attorneys, agents, clients, and colleagues near and far. Our office will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 23-24. We will resume normal operations on Monday, November 27.

Jaclyn Alcantara and Hovey Williams Host MothersEsquire’s KC Meet-Up

Jaclyn Alcantara and Hovey Williams Host MothersEsquire’s KC Meet-Up | Hovey Williams LLP Jaclyn Alcantara and Hovey Williams were proud to host lunch at our offices today for MothersEsquire’s first ever Kansas City Local Meet-Up. MothersEsquire began as an online community of lawyer moms in 2013 and is now a non-profit with over 8,500 members nationwide. The organization is dedicated ...

U.S. SUPREME COURT GRANTS CERTIORARI TO RESOLVE CIRCUIT SPLIT REGARDING COPYRIGHT DAMAGES - Kenzie Lawrence

Two appeals courts, a California-based Ninth Circuit and New York-based Second Circuit, have been split over a key time frame established by the Copyright Act, leading to one essential question—Can a copyright holder recover for infringements that occurred more than three years before the filing of a lawsuit? After a Florida-based Eleventh Circuit recently ruled “yes,” siding with the Ninth Circuit and widening the circuit split, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to clarify the damages period under the Copyright Act.

In the case at hand, musician Sherman Nealy and his company sued for copyright infringement that occurred as early as 2008. However, Nealy claimed he did not learn of the alleged copyright violations until 2016, and filed his suit less than three years later, in 2018. Under the Eleventh Circuit’s ruling, Nealy can seek relief for the infringement dating back to 2008. However, if the Second Circuit’s ruling were applied, Nealy’s relief would be limited to infringements within three years of filing the lawsuit.

It is not surprising that the states where these disputes have arisen are prominent artistic hotspots, as the Supreme Court’s ruling in this case will have an impact on copyright holders including musicians, artists, authors, and other creatives. The ruling will play a pivotal role in shaping the scope of recoverable damages for infringements. It will also reduce forum shopping, impact incentives for pursing litigation, and affect the cost and time investment associated with copyright infringement claims. Ideally, the Supreme Court’s decision will maintain strong protection for copyright holders while fostering uniformity and greater predictability under the Copyright Act.

This weekend, Partners Crissa Seymour Cook and Tracy Bornman Boedecker joined the Hovey Williams table at the 10th Anniversary Ebony Rose Scholarship & Awards Gala held by the National Congress of Black Women - Kansas City chapter. The event, whose theme was "Dream Big. Sparkle More. Shine Bright!," showcased vendors, an inspiring dinner program, a live auction, and a post-event DJ and party, all raising money for educational scholarships for high school graduating seniors and adult students.

Happy Halloween from the HW crew! We had the largest number of competitors in our costume contest this year. Which one would you have voted for?

We are delighted to welcome Alaina Coughlin to . Alaina recently joined Hovey Williams as a Patent Analyst. Her responsibilities encompass supporting patent applications across a diverse range of technologies, including biotechnology and life sciences, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and mechanical devices. Alaina holds a Bachelor's degree in Applied Science in Biotechnology from The University of Kansas.

Andrew, Kenzie and Jaclyn at Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association’s Unity Event to celebrate diversity and inclusion in our legal community.

Interested in swinging a sledgehammer, light landscaping or some minor exterior painting? Here's your chance to help out. The Johnson County Bar Association needs more for Clean Up Days this Friday afternoon. JoCoBar is teaming up with Friends of JCDS for some outdoor work. Learn more about this fall event and register here: https://johnsoncountybarassociationjcba.growthzoneapp.com/ap/Events/Register/7rXXyYWr?mode=Attendee

Fall Clean Up - Day 1 - Event Registration JCBA is excited to again team up with Friends of Johnson County Developmental Supports (JCDS) and host two outside clean-up days for their client homes, with work including general clean-up, landscaping maintenance, and minor exterior paint touch.

We had a little fun with our Happy Boss's Day décor.

We officially celebrated Boss's Day today with a fabulous Food Festival lunch prepared by staff for our attorneys. We have some amazing culinary talent here! Our lunch was better than your lunch :0).

Diversity is one of the greatest strengths of any community. We believe in the power of inclusivity and acceptance and lend our support to Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association's Unity Event.

Please join KCMBA and the area’s diversity bar associations for the Unity Event on Thursday, October 19, 5:00-7:00pm at the KCMBA Event Center to celebrate diversity and inclusion in our legal community.

See below to register.

https://kcmba.org/web/Events/Social-Events/Unity_Event?hkey=769c26d5-7bb0-4996-832e-97b922f582ee