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2008-01-25T10:34:00.001-06:00

Plug (In) for a Buddy--contact management software

2007-09-14T10:31:00.000-05:00

My friend Misty Khan has a good interview on Startup Houston about her company, Advena Artemis, and the launch of her software, HuntressPro. It's an Outlook Add-in for sales contact management. It "provides contact management functionality such as call lists, referral source tracking and sales activity reporting". Up to now she's being doing customized versions of Huntress for customers, and is now releasing a downloadable software package with various optional plug-ins specific to various industries (e.g., for realtors). I know several customers of her earlier customized version in Houston and they all seem happy with it. (Competing products include ACT, etc., but Huntress has some advantages over it.) I've begun to experiment with it myself even though I'm not in sales, because it will be useful for some of the legal treatise editing work I do where I need to routinely contact or "touch" dozens of authors around the world for different phases of the publishing (initial contact; followup for due dates, etc.).

Still, though I'm finding a way to use it for my own non-sales need, HuntressPro is ideal for salespeople and sales teams who want to manage their follow-ups, contact information and sales activities directly from Outlook. It basically turns Outlook into a proper contact management software (what some people call "Customer Relationship Management," or CRM). I highly recommend any sales professionals give this a gander.

If any of you know any salespeople or companies with sales forces that might benefit from this, feel free to pass this on. Check out the interview for more info.

Hoffman Review of Rubins-Kinsella International Law Book

2007-08-08T23:44:00.000-05:00

Latest review of my 2005 book International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner's Guide, by Anne Hoffman, an international commercial and investment arbitration attorney with Python & Peter:

Book review

[by: Anne K. Hoffmann, Python & Peter; forthcoming in Arbitration International N� 3, 2007]

International Investment, Political Risk and Dispute Resolution � A Practitioner�s Guide by Noah Rubins and N. Stephan Kinsella. Published by Oceana Publications, a Division of Oxford University Press (2005), 769 pp. Price �90 [$155], ISBN 0-379-21522-5

The proliferation of arbitration proceedings conducted on the basis of BITs, and in particular the auspices of ICSID, naturally led to an increase of publications addressing this issue and the changing landscape of arbitration over the last years. Books dealing with this issue are often commentaries, basic introductions to the procedure of investment arbitration or reviews of investment awards.

The present book is different. It integrates the important issue of dispute resolution into the broader scope of international investment, explains the risks, in particular the political risk, associated with international investment and the legal framework of investment protection at large. It thus broadens the perspective of the reader and allows him to see beyond the everyday issues of the interpretation of the effect of an umbrella clause or the meaning of fair and equitable treatment in a BIT by placing these specific issues into a broader context and showing their interaction with others.
The book commences by analysing the role and effect of foreign direct investment on the global economy of the modern world. Thereafter, it is composed of three parts. Part I deals with the assessment and pre-investment management of political risk. Part II addresses the international law framework of investment protection and political risk and part III covers the issue of dispute resolution and political risk. Each of these three parts is subdivided into chapters and sub-chapters. When reading the first part, the reader, inter alia, is introduced to the various types of political risk and their measurement, is shown features which will help minimising the political risk, such as stabilisation and arbitration clauses as well as clauses guiding tribunals with regard to damages and interest rates. Lastly, he is familiarised with the various types of investment insurances existing. In part II, the authors explain the international law framework of investment protection and political risk, i.e. issues of international law in general, of state sovereignty, state responsibility and state immunity. The authors address the remedies for both states and investors under international law and their prerequisites before shedding some light on history and development of the customary international law of expropriation and investment protection, and thus those today often-used terms like indirect and creeping expropriation or national treatment. Finally, they deal with the substantive law of contemporary international investment protection. The lawyer who deals with investment arbitration will be familiar with this chapter as here � after introducing the network of modern bilateral and multilateral treaties � investment standards such as prohibition of expropriation without compensation, fair and equitable treatment, full protection and security, the umbrella clause, compensation methods etc. and their application are discussed. Lastly, in part III, the reader will be introduced to the jurisdictional particularities of investment arbitration, such as nationality requirements, exhaustion of local remedies or �forks in the road�, to the various arbitration rules relevant in this context as well as some of their prominent features. In the final chapters, the authors address the rather seldomly discussed topic of conciliation of investment disputes as well as the intervention of states in investment disputes. At the back, the book contains a variety of useful appendices, e.g. bilateral investment treaties of selected countries, an OPIC insurance contract, the Washington Convention as well as a compilation of online resources.
Thus, the first part of the book focuses mainly upon �practical� issues, namely on identifying political risk and reducing the chance that these risks will materialise. The second part addresses first general legal issues relevant to investments before focusing upon dispute resolution. It therefore is both a useful practical guide and competent source for newcomers and experienced practitioners alike in relation to international law and investment treaty arbitration where it explains general principles as well as concrete case law which has developed over the past years. Naturally, the book addresses the main cases which had an impact upon a certain issue, but will not discuss all cases decided in the context of investment arbitration � it is not a case commentary. Nevertheless, it contains vast footnotes which permit the interested reader to follow up on certain problems easily. At the same time, it explains to the practitioner less familiar with the running of an international arbitration proceeding the necessary steps from the notification of a dispute up to oral argument, including the difficult situation of the defaulting party � all of this with a view to the specificities of an ICSID arbitration and easier to access as other writings on this topic.

This book is not a lightweight and does not make for good bedtime-reading. Not being a classic law book, it is a guide which should find its place on the shelf of the person dealing with foreign investment who is interested to explore the various aspects of foreign investment and political risk in their broader context and with a particular emphasis on the legal aspects of this field. This will include, but not be limited to, the issue of dispute resolution. It is thereby well-suited for beginners in the area of investment arbitration attempting to find their way around a relatively new area of law as it covers the relevant issues comprehensively without getting lost in a degree of detail which will be the next step on the ladder of investment protection.

The authors described their goal as to write a guide which would �enable the investor to appreciate the risks associated with government interference in property rights, to minimize those risks and deal effectively with their consequences. But we also hope to promote understanding within host governments about investors� expectations and concerns, to allow them to avoid conflict and maximize the benefits of foreign direct investment for their countries and constituencies.� The authors succeeded and thereby made a valuable contribution to exploring this topic.

Lakatos-Legal Information Alert Review of Rubins-Kinsella International Law Book

2007-08-08T22:15:00.000-05:00

Yet another recent review/comment of my 2005 book International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner's Guide, by Holly A. Lakatos, Director of Public Services, Chicago-Kent College of Law Library, from the March 1, 2006 Legal Information Alert. The blurb used by the publisher is:

An important resource for anyone who is trying to understand the uncertain balance between the needs of sovereign governments, the interests of investors, and international law constraints... This book is an excellent reference work and should be included in any library that claims to have a 'good' international business collection.

The full review is appended below (PDF version):

International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner's Guide. (Book review)

Publication: Legal Information Alert

Publication Date: 03/01/2006

Author: Lakatos, Holly A.

International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner's Guide. Noah Rubins & N. Stephan Kinsella. 2005. Oceana Publications, Inc. Hardcover. 769p. ISBN: 0-379-21522-5. $150.

[Note: This is an updated and expanded version of Protecting Foreign Investment Under International Law: Legal Aspects of Political Risk, Paul Comeaux & N. Stephan Kinsella (Dobbs Ferry, New York: Oceana Publications, 1997), ISBN: 0-379-21371-0448.]

Today's business lawyers need to have an awareness of political risk along with a firm foundation in international law in order to advise clients engaged in direct investments within developing nations. There is an uncertain balance among the needs of sovereign governments, the interests of investors, and international law constraints and anyone participating in such ventures must take this into consideration. International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution is an important resource for anyone who is trying to understand that uncertain balance.

Divided into three parts, the authors of this guide provide methods by which attorneys may proactively minimize the exposure and effects of political risk at every step of the investment life cycle. They cover the issues from pre-investment management to the conciliation of investment disputes.

In part 1, the authors broadly divide political risk into seven different categories (expropriation, nationalization, and confiscation; regulatory interference; currency risk; civil disturbance; breach of state contracts; corruption; and trade restrictions) and discusses strategies for the "Assessment and Pre-investment Management of Political Risk." Part 2 is intended to establish. "The International Framework of Investment Protection and Political Risk," and here the authors trace the history and development of the customary international law of expropriation and investment protection. In part 3, they concentrate on "Dispute Resolution and Political Risk" and outline the arbitration procedure including how to establish arbitral jurisdiction.

The appendixes are substantial and include sample agreements, treaties, country risk reports, and a list of online resources. A Table of Authorities contains a valuable supplemental reading list of books and articles on the topic. Both the table of contents and the index are well thought-out and provide helpful access points to the information to be found in this book.

In the introduction, the authors claim that the book was written for a wide audience and that it will appeal to lawyers and non-lawyers alike. I cannot imagine any non-lawyer finding this book useful, especially since it does not contain a glossary. In addition, it is formatted as if it were a really, really long law review article with substantial footnotes on every page. Practicing attorneys, however, should find this guide accessible and easy to use. Law students will also find this guide useful as a supplement to any international business course.

The differences between the previous version and this one are substantial enough to warrant purchasing this new work. Though most of the same topics are covered, the new version covers them in much more depth. As an introduction to the topic, this book is an excellent reference work and should be included in any library that claims to have a "good" international business collection.

Holly A. Lakatos, Director of Public Services,
Illinois Institute of Technololgy,
Chicago-Kent College of Law Library

COPYRIGHT 2006 Alert Publications, Inc.

2007-05-03T15:50:00.000-05:00

Rethinking Relativity, by Tom Bethell, and related links (on Petr Beckmann's anti-Einsteinian theories)
Einstein Plus Two--brochures of Petr Beckmann's work, interviews, related dissident physics material
//Galilean Electrodynamics// (founded by Petr Beckmann)
Physics Forum: Discussion of Lewis Little's "Theory of Elementary Waves"
TEWLIP: Theory of Elementary Waves (TEW) Listserv
- David Harriman's comments on TEW
George Marklin: Objectivist Physics
David Harriman's Objectivist Approach to Physics
General Lorentz Ether Theory
Journal of Objective Science

NSK Interview on Patents, by Taylor Conant

2007-04-06T17:22:00.001-05:00

NSK Interview on Patents, by Taylor Conant

Tukulov Review of Rubins-Kinsella International Law Book

2007-03-20T10:53:00.000-05:00

Latest comments on of my book International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner's Guide published in late 2005, by Kazakh attorney Bakhyt Tukulov (Legal Department, (K�Cell) "GSM Kazakhstan OJSC "Kazakhtelecom" LLP) (from an email by Tukulov to my co-author Noah Rubins):

I�d like to again thank you for the book, as now, upon completion, I understand the real value it has. I�d advise it to anybody, who has basic understanding of and interested in arbitration, I�d definitely advise it to foreign businessmen; moreover, valuable citations and references to sources found in the book can help if deeper research of certain aspect is necessary.

The book is also very useful for its annexes as a reader can easily locate certain provisions in relevant convention and to grasp it easily. I�d say this book may easily serve as a handbook to practicing lawyers.

Another fact is that by means of this book I got considerably familiar with basics of customary international law (mainly of ICSID framework). International law has always seemed to me like vacuum to some extent as in University we have studied conventional international law only.

Dundas Review of Rubins-Kinsella International Law Book

2007-02-17T23:07:00.000-06:00

Latest review of my book International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner's Guide published in late 2005, by the well-known English practitioner/arbitrator Hew R. Dundas, in Arbitration: The International Journal of Arbitration, Mediation and Dispute Management, the journal of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators:

"Oh No � not another book on investment arbitration!" might be one's first response but, if so, a wrong one; while "I couldn't put it down" is a time-honoured publisher's clich�, it genuinely applies to this book. The book is a collaboration between a well-known international arbitration lawyer (Rubins) and the General Counsel (Kinsella) of [AOI, a laser manufacturer], and therefore avoids the tendency dryness that can infect some over-specialist academic tomes. It is in three parts (i) Assessment and Pre-Investment Management of Political Risk (ii) The International Law Framework of Investment Protection and Political Risk and (iii) Dispute Resolution � these three parts total 442 pages; there are also extensive (300 pages) appendices (see below) and a reasonably-comprehensive index Your reviewer has approached this book wearing two main alternating hats: first, that of an international arbitrator closely involved with the investment arbitration world and, secondly, that of the former Head of Legal and Group Insurance Manager (including Political Risk) of a large oil company. So far as this book is concerned, both hats are very comfortable. Part I is, perhaps for the specialist, sometimes a little too general but this is reflected in the wide range of matters covered, typically in a succinct and clear style so that even in specialist areas your reviewer welcomed the authors' analysis since, as a minimum, it helps the reader reassess his/her thoughts and priorities; for example, the list of definitions (at page 34ff) of BT/BOT/BLT/BOO/BOOT/BTO is useful clarification. The authors' analysis (page 53ff) of stabilisation clauses proved most welcomely succinct with a clarity and precision sadly lacking in a recent (and turgid) PhD thesis on this topic for which your reviewer was External Examiner.

Part II changes up a gear and includes some excellent material e.g. a thorough yet succinct section on the nationality of claims (135ff), and an interesting analysis of arbitral decisions (250ff). Part III is, so far as arbitration and dispute resolution are concerned, and quite properly in context, focussed wholly on investment and other international arbitration issues including 56 pages on procedure forming a compact and useful summary. There is also a useful 40-page chapter on conciliation including even a section on Med-Arb. Part III continues in that higher gear with interesting sections on "Preliminary Treaty Concerns" (272ff), "Problem Areas" (297ff) and "Challenge of Awards" (353ff); these were a pleasure to read. Throughout the book, the materials are well-integrated and very much up-to-date as subscribers to OGEMID will recognise (but note that the authors' preface is dated August 2005 and the book published in 2005) Too many arbitration textbooks reproduce the same materials leading to much unnecessary duplication (the Arbitration Act 1996, ICC Rules, LCIA Rules etc etc appear far too often). This book includes materials I do not otherwise possess including the OPIC Contract of Insurance, the MIGA Contract of Guarantee, even a private insurance contract and the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (USA). The Washington Convention (1965), the UNCITRAL Model Law (1985) and the UNCITRAL Rules (1976) reappear as in so many texts. Most of these are easily available on the ICSID and UNCITRAL websites so a single page of URLs would be a more constructive approach. Importantly, there is an extensive and valuable list of book/article sources, such list not being otherwise readily available; you reviewer notes for the record that he discovered he had been cited only after completing this review ! The book reads well as regards literary style, generally easy on the eye and not overusing jargon; key issues are generally well-explained and, perhaps, we see the benefits of the collaboration between in-house Counsel and a practising lawyer at the sharp edge of modern developments. In conclusion, this book is valuable in its own right but, at a mere �90, must be considered a bargain.

Kinsella Oxford University Press Books

2007-01-12T11:08:00.000-06:00

Since the purchase of my publisher, Oceana Publications, by Oxford University Press in late 2005, Oxford has assumed various Oceana titles I authored or edit, and seems to have finally added them to its print and online catalogs, e.g.:

Kinsella, Block, Tinsley on Exclusionary Rule

2007-01-02T09:25:00.000-06:00

Just uploaded: my article In Defense of Evidence and Against the Exclusionary Rule: A Libertarian Approach, co-authored with Pat Tinsley and Walter Block, published in the Southern University Law Review.

de Gramont Blurb on Rubins-Kinsella International Law Book

2006-11-11T18:57:00.000-06:00

Latest blurb on my book International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner's Guide published last year:

I've been reading through your book International Investment, Political Risk and Dispute Resolution. It is a remarkably helpful, well-written, and well-researched work. It is quite scholarly and at the same time a thoroughly practical and useful guide."
--Alexandre de Gramont, Crowell & Moring LLP

Reengineering the Patent Examination Process: Two Suggestions

2006-11-07T09:36:00.000-06:00

Re my previous post about suggestions to eliminate substantive patent examination, I was just made aware of D.C. Toedt, "Reengineering the Patent Examination Process: Two Suggestions," 81 J. Pat. & Trademark Off. Soc'y 462 (1999). This is based on Toedt's suggestion in 1994 "that the PTO steal two ideas from the SEC:

Suggestion 1: create a convertible "low end" patent (CLEP)
Suggestion 2: conduct examinations as administrative trials.

Check it out. Email me with any comments.

A RADICAL VIEW ON THE FUTURE OF SUBSTANTIVE PATENT EXAMINATION

2006-11-06T17:03:00.000-06:00

Interesting article in a Malaysian/Singaporean IP firm newsletter (it appears in the Q1/2006 issue of Henry Goh Intellectual Property Updates:

A RADICAL VIEW ON THE FUTURE OF SUBSTANTIVE PATENT EXAMINATION
by Dave A. Wyatt

In recent years, there has been talk of a crisis in the patenting system worldwide. This reflects a concern over growth in the numbers of patent applications being filed and lengthening delays by patent offices in processing the applications through to grant.

Even the patent offices of countries that have traditionally been seen as relatively fast are slowing down under the sheer volume of work. A 2005 survey by the US-based Intellectual Property Owners Association showed that two-thirds of respondents expected the patent granting process in the United States to take longer over the next three years.

People unfamiliar with the world of patents are always surprised that it takes a period of years for a patent to be granted. The principal reason for this delay is the process of substantive examination under which the patentability of the invention is checked by a technicallyqualified examiner.

The reaction of the major patent offices of the world has been to recruit and train ever more examiners, increase sharing and recognition of each other's work, as well as to impose fees that penalize lengthy applications.

Malaysia has not escaped criticism for its delay in examining patent applications, either. It has been proposed that a further 500 patent examiners be recruited to add to the existing 42. However, the author submits that this will not solve the problem locally because of the way examination is currently done in Malaysia for most applications.

Instead, a more radical proposal is made. Do we need substantive examination as a pre-condition for grant of every patent? There are already countries such as France and South Africa whose patent systems do not provide for it. Instead, substantive examination could be made compulsory only prior to starting an infringement action or even sending a preliminary warning letter. A provision under which the Registrar of Patents and third parties could require an application to be examined may also be included.

The grant of an examined patent is never a guarantee of its validity. However, many patented inventions are not commercially exploited and even less are litigated. So, is it not logical that the expense and time of substantive examination be reserved for those that really matter?

Mozy.com Free Online Backup Service

2006-11-06T10:42:00.000-06:00

Just an FYI--for anyone who does not have a good backup service for their computer documents and files: there's a great service i've been using --I have struggled with good backup solutions for a long time. I have tried several. A few months back I stumbled across Mozy.com which I tried and love. It's an online backup service, and does 2GB of storage FREE. It is very cool; seems to work seemlessly, and without error. I set it to backup a few times a day. The first time it backs up, it might take a day or more; but after that, each backup is incremental so it's pretty fast. I use it at home, and also at work. For work I purchased the $4.95/month version which gives you like 30GB or something like that. For home I just use the free version. Actually you get an extra 250MB (a quarter of a GB) of space for every person you refer--I have done this and now have over 5GB of space. In fact if you sign up using someone else's referral link, you start out with 2.25GB instead of 2GB. If you want to try it for backup purposes, click on my referral link (https://mozy.com/?code=P52E8G) to get 2.25GB (instead of just 2.0GB) free space. I've done a few sample backups just to test it (and one time to recover a file I had accidentally deleted), and it worked great. Highly recommended.

IP and Patent Law Guide - WIki

2006-10-10T12:51:00.000-05:00

As some of you may know, I have for some time maintained a web page with Intellectual Property, Patent, and Law Resources.

I have moved the content of these resources to a wiki so that other members of the patent community can help collaborate to improve this list of resources. Members may join and participate in editing the wiki, add links, fix links, upload files, and join our discussions.

Instructions are provided below (also available here).

If you forget the link, I have registered www.PatentLawPractice.info and www.PatentLawPractice.us which both point to the page above.

NOTE: IP-PATENT LAW RESOURCES PAGE HAS MOVED TO WIKISPACES

The Intellectual Property, Patent, and Law Resources previously shown below has been moved to a PatentLawPractice wiki at Wikispaces.

Members of the patent and IP law community are encouraged to help improve it. To do this, first, join Wikispaces then join the PatentLawPractice Wiki.

The wiki is designed for the patent bar and IP law community--practicing IP attorneys or patent agents, and, on a limited basis, others with special familiarity with IP law practice.

(IP practitioners who have not yet members are also encouraged to join the PatentLawPractice Yahoo Group listserv.)

Contact me with any questions.

N. Stephan Kinsella
General Counsel
Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.

"Go Left, he said": How Jeff Tucker Saved My Life

2006-10-09T10:03:00.000-05:00

Or at least, my arm. I've noted before his nuggets of wisdom--his Rules of Thumb for Living. The lates

t concerns mouse usage.

I've always had a bit of skepticism about people who whined about "carpal tunnel" syndrome. But over the last year my right arm has gotten worse and

worse, from typing and mouse manipulation. Jeff told me to switch to my left arm for mouse usage. I briefly tried it, about 6 months ago, and gave up. But the problem got worse; Jeff told me again recently to switch to the left hand, and that his switch was one of the best things he's ever done. So the last few days I've tried it, and have largely switched. At first I would give up and switch to the "good" hand when I got frustrated. But now I'm almost exclusively left-hand mouse. Still slower, and it's frustrating, but already I'm feeling better. And one advantage: your right hand can do the arrow keys while left can do mouse at same time. Jeff: I love you, man!!!

Update: Jeff also highly recommends this task chair.

Followup: some replies:

If you ever get tired of using the mouse with your left hand, I would suggest a different solution that worked for me. Try a wireless optical or laser mouse, and use it on a book or other surface that you can put on your lap. This way you can keep your arm at your side and your hand resting comfortably on your lap. I used to get pain in my right arm, and this solution made it go away in about a week. Just a suggestion.

and

Use two mice, and make your right-hand one a rollerball.

Happ Review of Rubins-Kinsella International Law Book

2006-10-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

Re my book International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner's Guide published last year--I just received the first book review, which was done by Dr. Richard Happ (other reviews). Excerpt:

a classical treatise. ... It is noteworthy and commendable that--unlike so many other contemporary writers--the authors try to give a neutral and unbiased overview over diverging awards and disputed issues. ... It is a timely book. In their introduction, the authors state: 'we hope to provide the non-specialist lawyer, business person, or government official with the tools necessary to understand the international law of investment and its relationship to political risk'. They have managed to do so, and done even more. First, they successfully combined what would be three separate books (on structuring of investment, international law on investment protection and dispute settlement) in their own right. Second, they provide a coherent and--despite the necessary brevity--in-depth discussion of all relevant issues. Even minor points such as pre-dispute settlement negotiations, or the problem of pre-investment expenditures as investments, are dealt with comprehensively.... In doing so, the authors never become lost in academic debate, but always keep the perspective of the practitioner. These features make the book not only an excellent introduction and comprehensive overview about the state of the law of investment protection, but also a valuable reference tool for anyone experienced in the field. It is to be recommended to anyone who wishes to gain an insight into the topics under discussion or only needs a reference guide to current law and practice. The quality of the analysis ensures that the book will not lose its value even if the law continues to develop. For both academics and practitioners active in investment arbitration, it must be considered indispensable. .... These books [IIPR plus a casebook on foreign investment disputes] are like sea chart maps which allow the reader to navigate on the vast sea of information constituted by papers, awards and court cases during the last 100 years. Even the experienced sailor will and should not leave harbour without such sea charts.

The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities

2006-09-18T22:23:00.000-05:00

The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities

Patent Rights Web Poll

2006-07-31T11:49:00.000-05:00

On an email list I posted the following:

It seems to me that many small/medium companies live in fear of a big patent lawsuit. Even if they had their own IP, I suspect many companies would gladly give up forever their right to sue for patent infringement, in exchange for some kind of immunity from patent liability--at least, if they could eliminate the threat of an injunction, so that the worst penalty they might face is some kind of mandatory royalty. Surely IBM et al. would not take this deal, but I bet a lot of other companies would. What do you think?

Second, in view of this, does this mean there is some kind of market for a service that would let a bunch of companies get together and "pool" their IP and have some kind of agreement (a) never to sue each other; (b) to have access to this pool of patents to countersue any company that sues any of the members.

This post drew some interest so I am doing a simple webpoll. I think the results might be interesting.

Patent and IP Law Blogs and Email Discussion Lists

2006-01-25T14:22:00.000-06:00

The following is a collection of sources of updates on patent law/patent cases. Please email me any suggestions; will be later added to my IP Links Page. (Stephen Nipper provided me with many of these links.)

Email distribution lists and Blogs (blogs can be subscribed to via aggregators such as Sharpreader; most also offer email subscription)

Patterson Belknap's Federal Circuit Patent Review newsletter (by email; summarizes the previous week's patent and other decisions by the CAFC; one of my primary weekly readings)
Pierce Law IP News Blog
FindLaw Intellectual Property Case Summaries (email list)
Willamette Law's IP case summaries (email list)

I/P Updates blog: "News and Information for Intellectual Property Practitioners" (William "Bill" Heinze)
IP Law Server (Intelproplaw forums)
The Invent Blog--Necessity's Progeny--Nipper's Patent Law Blog (Stephen Nipper)
Patently-O: Patent Law Blog (Dennis Crouch) (caselaw focus)
IP Counsel Blog (Todd Lewis Mayover--)
KinsellaLaw blog (Stephan Kinsella)
PatNews (email list)
Philip Brooks' Patent Infringement Updates
Internet Law Update (Martin H. Sampson) (email list)

The Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) blog: Marc Adler, president of the IPO, has started a blog with the goal of providing a discussion forum for the IP community.
Richmond IP Blog: The IP Institute at the University of Richmond Law School; focused primarily on tech-copyright issues.
Daily Dose of IP: by Mark Reichel, an associate at Ice Miller.
Promote the Progress (J. Matthew Buchanan's patent blog that covers patent legislation)
Rethink(IP) (Buchanan/Nipper/Sorocco's blog where they complain about how IP law should be changed)
PHOSITA� IP law blog (Douglas Sorocco)
Rethink(IP) "RSS Mojo" feeds (Patent Office News and Notices, Patent Lawsuit Filings/updates, etc scraped together and E-mailed to you)
"Just a Patent Examiner" blog (written by a patent examiner; gives insight into how the USPTO works)
Anything Under the Sun patent blog (Russ Krajec)
Peter Zura's two-seventy-one Patent Blog ("Providing insight and analysis on patent law, patent portfolio management and patent litigation in the fields of electronics, software and computers")
The Patent Prospector (an "Open Forum of Patent Information & Opinion")
Patent Baristas

Email discussion/news lists/discussion fora

PatentLawPractice YahooGroup (run by Stephan Kinsella)
Various WashLaw email discussion lists, such as PatentPractice-L--Patent Legal Practice Discussion List and Patent-L--Patent Law
EFS [PTO electronic filing system] Users Discussion Group
rethink(IP) discussion forum (in progress)

Other

KinsellaLaw: IP Law Links and Sources
IP Menu: Billed as "The Home of IP on the Internet". By Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick

IP Podcasts

There are/were some, but I have not been able to find any I like yet or that are regularly updated.

Kudos on Kinsella International Investment Book

2006-01-09T16:15:00.000-06:00

Recent endorsements of my latest book, International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner's Guide (Oxford/Oceana 2005), co-authored with Noah Rubins (available at http://www.oceanalaw.com/main_product_details.asp?ID=391):

"The book is a tour de force. Rubins & Kinsella have written a first-rate study of one of the most vital areas of international law today. Notwithstanding its subtitle ("A Practitioner's Guide"), scholars as well as practicing attorneys will find this an invaluable guide to understanding the multifaceted adjudicatory regime for cross-border investment disputes."

--William W. Park, R. Gordon Butler Scholar in International Law and Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law; General Editor, Arbitration International; Counsel to Ropes &amp;amp;amp;amp; Gray; former Vice-President, London Court of International Arbitration; publications include the casebook International Commercial Arbitration; International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration (3rd ed.); International Forum Selection; Income Tax Treaty Arbitration; and Arbitration of International Business Disputes: Studies in Law and Practice.

"This book is comprehensive, well-written, and balanced. An admirable mixture of learned commentary and primary documents, it is portable, authoritative, and up-to-date. It is a distinctive and well-organized addition to exisiting reference works and will be of great value to practioners and academics who seek a dependable, balanced treatment of a range of legal and practical questions affecting foreign direct investment and dispute resolution."

--Jack J. Coe, Jr., Professor of Law, Pepperdine University School of Law; author, Protecting Against the Expropriation Risk in Investing Aboard (Matthew Bender 1993); International Commercial Arbitration--American Principles and Practice (1997); NAFTA Chapter 11 Reports (with Brower and Dodge); vice-chairman, International Commercial Arbitration Committee, ABA International Law Section.

"This book provides an excellent account of how legal techniques can be used to provide significant protections to foreign investment. Its comprehensive coverage, clarity of expression, and useful appendices will prove invaluable to the busy lawyer. It is one of those rare books that is valuable not only for practice but also for the law classroom."

--Dan Sarooshi, Herbert Smith Associate Professor of International Law, University of Oxford; Barrister, London; author of International Organizations And Their Exercise Of Sovereign Powers and The United Nations and the Development of Collective Security: The Delegation by the UN Security Council of Its Chapter VII Powers.

Great PodCast

2005-12-06T10:27:00.000-06:00

TWiT: This Week in Technology.

Email Reminders

2005-09-12T13:05:00.000-05:00

Neat free website that emails you reminders for birthdays and other events: ShootMeAnEmail.com. Anyone know of any others, send 'em on.

On Lawyers as Commodities

2005-09-08T09:29:00.000-05:00

In the September 2005 issue of Corporate Legal Times, a piece called "Bidding Wars" profiles GE's recent move to reduce the number of outside law firms it uses from 500 down to 94. The first cut was based on quality; this reduced the number of law firms to 200. Then they cut based on RFPs and references from other clients, leaving them with 142 firms. Then they cut down to 94 firms based on cost--they made the law firms place bids in an auction type process. The reaction from the law firms was a bit amusing:

"An auction is a great way to buy pencils," says John Marzulli, a partner at Shearman & Sterling, one of GE's preferred M&A counsel. "It doesn't seem to me to be the best way to select your counsel for a complex multibillion-dollar acquisition. We like being part of their network, but we didn't enjoy the selection process."

I bet not.

New Rouge

2005-09-06T09:32:00.000-05:00

As I previously noted on the LewRockwell.com blog, an emerging nickname for Baton Rouge is "New Rouge," because of the huge number of New Orleans residents moving there in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. See, e.g., Capital city struggling with inflow (Sept. 3, 2005, Houston Chronicle). I've just registered www.newrouge.org and am temporarily pointing it to www.kinsellalaw.com/newrouge.

***

Also--as noted here, Houston--currently home of an estimated 150,000 of Katrina evacuees--stands to gain big from the hit felt by New Orleans.