Reib Law - February 2021

Reib Law - February 2021

SHATTERPROOF NEWSLETTER

FEBRUARY 2021

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individual inventors getting the credit for their work, the corporations who employ them do.

There are, of course, exceptions to this. Some of the goofy new inventions you might see on infomercials, like special mops or coffee grinders, might come directly from the inventor, but those devices are a far cry from the ubiquity of the smartphone or wireless computer mouse. The sad truth is that these days, people and corporations will outright take the credit for inventing things they didn’t invent, and sometimes they profit off these unearned successes. "While there’s something noble about being counted among the nameless inventors whose inventions make our everyday lives easier, inventors shouldn’t have to exist in obscurity ... If you believe you’ve created something that has real intellectual property value, Visit Reiblaw.com/nlfree to schedule a consultation." Sometimes, all it takes to ensure you’re at least getting financially compensated for your inventions is the right documentation. That’s why if you believe you’ve invented something novel, and you believe you can make a profit by selling it, you need to make sure your name is on the patent. Several inventions are stolen because the inventor reveals too much about their work too soon, giving someone — many times, an employer — an opportunity to steal it. So, while there’s something noble about being counted among the nameless inventors whose inventions make our everyday lives easier, inventors shouldn’t have to exist in obscurity — at least not in the eyes of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A lot of great inventions still await discovery, and if you believe you’ve created something that has real intellectual property value, visit the REIBLAW web page at ReibLaw.com/nlfree to schedule a consultation. We can help you protect your idea from anyone who would want to take it for themselves. – Scott Reib

INVENTORS SHOULD BE REMEMBERED IN THE HISTORY BOOKS A WORD ON NATIONAL INVENTORS’ DAY

Everyone knows Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb, and Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. At the very least, their names are forever attached to those inventions. But could you say off the top of your head who invented some of the things that make our jobs and our very lives, in some cases, possible today? Who invented Wi-Fi? Who invented the cellphone? Al Gore may have claimed he invented the internet, but the jury is still out on that one. My point is this: Feb. 11 is a little-known holiday called National Inventors’ Day. The day was chosen because it is the birthday of Thomas Edison, perhaps the most famous inventor in American history, and it’s a day to celebrate the people who made all of the incredible devices we use in our lives. The only hitch in this idea? Just like few people know about National Inventors' Day, we don’t know the names of many people who invented these instrumental devices for our workspaces and homes — and that shouldn’t be the case. In my lifetime, we’ve landed on the moon and popularized carrying small communication devices in our ears and fully functional computers in our pockets. Who are the founding fathers of all those things? Someone probably knows, but they never made that information known. One reason for that is because much of what’s being invented today happens at major corporations, like Apple, Google, or Microsoft. So, instead of the

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WELL, THAT WAS FAST ADVERTISING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

Some advertisers settled for merely reflecting the new norms of remote life and work in their advertising, with mixed results. If we weren’t tired of the Zoom-focused Progressive ads featuring Flo and cohorts back in spring 2020, we’ve surely grown tired of their hard-to-parse antics by now. No matter who’s doing the advertising, studies done as early as April 2020 found that many consumers were tired of being reminded of the pandemic every time they sat down to watch TV. With national anxiety at an all- time high and mental illness spiking during the pandemic, that’s no surprise. People didn’t want to face the reality of the virus every 10 minutes due to advertisements. On the other hand, some businesses were just hampered by circumstance. Carnival and Norwegian Cruise lines both ran aground with their streaming ads focused on spring and summer getaways. These seemed especially tone- deaf given that cruise ships made headlines at the time as vectors for massive COVID-19 spread.

Almost a year ago, most of the United States entered a period of lockdown in an attempt to thwart the spread of COVID-19. For marketers facing an economic crisis, this presented a conundrum unlike any they’d seen before. On the one hand, it was likely that spending would drop, although the increase in nationwide unemployment payouts helped mitigate that. On the other hand, they now had a “captive audience” like never before, with people streaming movies and television from home at a record rate.

The lifestyles of those consumers had changed dramatically — could advertisers meet the challenge?

They certainly tried.

For retailer Carvana, the virus was almost a boon. The Tempe, Arizona-based auto seller had already gained fame for its “car vending machines” in several large American cities, but it had yet to crack the national market. As their ads put it, they wanted to be a coast-to-coast solution for new car sales, and our newly confined circumstances meant many more Americans were interested in Carvana than before. The company dumped money into its streaming ads, and the results speak for themselves: Bottoming at $30 million in March, their stock was valued at more than $200 million just a few months later.

But the true loser of 2020 advertising was Corona beer. The poor beverage company never stood a chance.

BIZ TOOL OF THE MONTH: CLIPGRAB If you’ve ever needed a YouTube video for a business presentation, but you fear that internet buffering may ruin the THE EASIEST WAY TO DOWNLOAD VIDEOS TO YOUR COMPUTER

Then, enter the video link into ClipGrab — from there, the app will do most of the heavy lifting. You can decide on the quality of your video, and finally, you just select the “Grab this clip!” button, name the file when prompted, and wait for it to download. ClipGrab has long been praised for its user friendliness. You don’t have to be a computer whiz to learn how to download videos from supported video hosting sites. ClipGrab supports a variety of video formats, including MPEG4, MP3, WMV, and a few others. You can also keep the video in its original format if that works best for maintaining the video’s quality. If you’re wondering if ClipGrab will work with your operating system, don’t worry: The app is compatible with both PCs and Macs. So, if you’ve been meaning to start a video library you can access from anywhere, ClipGrab is going to be your best bet to make that happen

momentum, then you need to download this month’s biz tool of the month, ClipGrab.

ClipGrab has been around for a while now (since 2007!), but it’s no less useful today than it was when it first became available. Essentially, the app allows you to select videos from video hosting sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and a few others and download them onto your computer. That way, you won’t have to worry about your internet connection when showing employees or business partners a video that was first posted on one of these sites.

In order to do this, first install the app (ClipGrab 3.9.6), which is free online. Next, copy the video link from the URL bar.

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PATENTS VS. COPYRIGHTS VS. TRADEMARKS

THE WIDE WORLD OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

grants the creator exclusive rights to sell and distribute any products derived from or related to their creation. Copyrights last 70 years, but extensions are possible. TRADEMARKS Creations that can be trademarked include phrases, logos, symbols, or other devices that differentiate a company or other source of goods and services from its competitors. When a company trademarks a catchphrase or logo, they have the right to prevent other companies from using similar catchphrases or logos to sell their products. The common factor in all of these forms of legal protection is that they all grant the creators exclusive rights to what they’ve created. So long as they enforce their patent, copyright, or trademark, they’ll be the only ones benefiting from their hard work — as it should be. If you have intellectual property you believe is worth protecting, talk to the team at REIBLAW today. Visit our website at ReibLaw.com/nlfree to schedule a consultation.

Broadly speaking, the term “intellectual property” generally refers to the practice of determining ownership for original ideas and potentially valuable concepts. More specifically, though, there are three different kinds of intellectual property: patents, copyrights, and trademarks. Depending on the nature of your intellectual property, it will fall under one of these categories — and categorizing it accurately will ensure your creation is protected from anyone who might want to claim it as their own. PATENTS Patents are issued to inventors, granting them property rights over what they create. More specifically, it grants inventors the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling their invention. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) grants patents, but it’s up to the inventor to enforce their patent after it is granted. Most patents last for 20 years, but some exceptions and extensions are possible. COPYRIGHTS Copyrights work like patents, but for published and unpublished works. These include literature, music, art, software, architecture, and other creative works. A copyright

BUTTER AND HERB BAKED OYSTERS

We want your feedback!

In editions of this newsletter, we’ve covered everything from business contracts to how to handle the former spouse who wound up with everything because there was no business succession plan in place. But now we’re wondering: What would you like to see? You know those legal questions that Google can’t give you a satisfactory answer to? The ones that keep you up at night as you wonder whether it’s time to call a lawyer? We want to answer those. Send us your questions, and we’ll use them to address the topics you want to know more about. Text your questions and curiosities to 972.677.3002 .

Inspired by TheSpruceEats.com

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs • 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped • 1 tbsp lemon juice • 1 tsp lemon zest • Lemon wedges and chopped parsley for garnish

• Rock salt or uncooked rice (to coat your baking sheet) • 1 dozen fresh oysters, scrubbed and shucked • 1 stick butter, softened and divided into 8 tbsp

DIRECTIONS

5. In a small bowl, combine

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. 2. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread out a layer of rock salt or uncooked rice. 3. Arrange oysters on the baking sheet, meat side up. 4. In a skillet over medium heat,

remaining butter, chives, lemon juice, and zest. 6. Top each oyster with a teaspoon of chive mixture and a sprinkle of sautéed breadcrumbs. 7. Bake for 8–10 minutes and serve garnished with lemon wedges and chopped parsley.

melt half of the butter. Add breadcrumbs and sauté until brown.

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Why History Should Remember Its Inventors INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 2 2 3 3 4 Lockdown Ads: Have You Seen These Ones? Biz Tool of the Month: ClipGrab Patents vs. Copyrights vs. Trademarks Butter and Herb Baked Oysters Protect Yourself From COVID-19 Scams!

MONEY SCAMS ARE SKYROCKETING HERE ARE 3 WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF RIGHT NOW For the past year, scammers have been working full time to fleece people. As a result of COVID-19, federal financial relief efforts, and state-level relief efforts, scammers have found a new way to get into their victims’ pockets.

call you out of the blue. Anyone claiming to have a cure or pretending to be in desperate need of money is also trying to scam you. Never say a word back to them. Cut them off and go about your day. 2. SIGN UP FOR INFORMED DELIVERY BY USPS. This free service is a great way to monitor your incoming mail. Every morning, USPS sends you an email with scanned images of the day’s mail (this doesn’t usually include larger parcels). When you pick up your mail later in the day, you can verify if anything is missing. Scammers may prefer phone calls, but mail thieves are still very much on the prowl. 3. SIGN UP FOR AN IDENTITY PROTECTION AND FRAUD DETECTION SERVICE. You never know who might end up with your personal information, but you can take steps to keep it safe. There are several services, like LifeLock, Identity Guard, and Intelius Identity Project, that offer comprehensive identify protection. They monitor credit cards, addresses, phone numbers, bank accounts, and more with the purpose of scoping out unusual or fraudulent behavior. Many services can be customized to fit your specific needs.

Now, they’re using COVID-19 again, this time with the “vaccine scam.” Through this scam, they’ll sign you up for the COVID-19 vaccine in exchange for a fee. They are also using variations of the grandparent scam, in which scammers pretend to be a family member in trouble (this time, they have COVID-19 or have lost their job) and they need money. Scammers make phone calls, send text messages, and craft phishing emails, hoping you’ll take the bait.

How can you protect yourself from these financial scams and more? Try these three different ways!

1. SHUT THEM DOWN. If you get a call from a scammer, hang up immediately (better yet, don’t answer unknown callers at all). At the same time, delete scam texts or emails the second you see them. If you get a call, text, or email from someone claiming to be with the government or a government agency, it’s a scammer. No one from any federal agency will ever

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