Introduction
The nature of the United States patent system means that, in preparing a patent application, you must work closely with the scientists and inventors who are responsible for developing the new discoveries. With one limited exception, you only get one chance; you do not get a second. The exception is a provisional application, which allows a one-year period before the filing of a second application. However, a provisional application can be used to assert priority only for subject matter that is described in such detail as to meet the standards for patentability defined in my further postings. If it does not, the provisional application will be disregarded by the Patent Office or by the courts in determining priority. Therefore, careful coordination is a must to ensure that you get it right.
Make sure to revisit next week for the second segment!
Over the past several years the IRS has had several high profile victories in cases involving taxpayers’ use of family limited partnerships or LLCs as vehicles to achieve valuation discounts to reduce the tax upon transfers of wealth to their heirs. Many of these rulings have come out of “bad facts” cases where the taxpayer either did not respect the formalities of the entity or there was no real purpose to the entity except to achieve tax savings. However, in the recent case of the Estate of Mirowski v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, T.C. Memo 2008-74, the Tax Court issued a favorable ruling to the taxpayers and rejected many of the arguments the IRS.
Let’s face it everyone needs legal services even in an uncertain economy. We seem to be in this uncertain and scary time right now with rising prices of every commodity. Under these situations what people tend to do is to hold on to their cash as long as possible and spend only when necessary, or fall back on the “I can do it my self” theory.
My name is Michael Lane, and I am an associate with Catalyst Law Group, APC, in San Diego, CA, and a member of the Urban Land Institute’s Young Leaders – San Diego Chapter. In a past life, I worked as an assistant project manager for two real estate development firms of varied size on several residential and commercial projects of varied complexity. Currently, I head Catalyst’s Sustainable Building initiative.
“Catalyst” - a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any change: somebody or something that makes a change happen or brings about an event: a means, a channel, a medium for change. Catalyst Law Group was created to fill this role for the San Diego business community – a law firm that increases the rate of success without compromising integrity, a business that makes change happen, and serves as a channel and medium for change and prosperity within the technology business world.
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“Tom has been our corporate attorney since 2005, but I have known him several years longer. Tom and his firm have done a superb job of designing our corporate structure, protecting our Intellectual Property, drafting contracts and agreements, reviewing documents and, most importantly, serving as trusted advisors. It's my honor to recommend Tom and Catalyst Law Group.”
Jerry Hutter |
