Patent and Trademark Seminar

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a patent and trademark seminar for Birmingham-area library staff, held at the Birmingham Public Library (BPL).  While I haven’t exactly had a lot of patent or trademark questions since I arrived here at UA (most are handled by the Rodgers Science and Engineering Library folks), I figured it would be useful to refresh my knowledge.

I found the session to be very interesting, and I learned quite a bit! For instance, there are utility, design, and plant patents. Each of these types have an expiration date – and after that, they go into the public domain; trademarks  (which can be any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination thereof) can be renewed every ten years.  For more info, check out the Patents and Trademarks sections of the USPTO website.

We did sample searches for patents and trademarks on the USPTO website, and the trainer was pretty detailed in terms of the better techniques for searching.  There is a U.S. Patent Classification system in place – every patent that’s issued is placed into a category (ie, we dug down until we found Class 2 – Apparel; Subclass 5 – Firemen’s helmets).   It helps to be able to determine what the patent’s classification is – then you know that you’ll be retrieving all patents (back to 1790).

The trainer also discussed Google’s Patent Search, and how it compares to the PTO’s search engines.  Basically, the data is the same – Google receives the data from the USPTO.  What Google has done is OCR’ed the images so that you can do a keyword search on all of the patents – not just those issued since 1976 (the main problem with keyword searching on the PTO site).

I decided to check out the trademarks registered to the University of Alabama, so I did an owner search.  Turns out that the trademarks are registered to the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, which meant that some of the 65 results I retrieved were for UAB and UAH (example: UAH HOCKEY CAPITAL OF THE SOUTH and NOTHING SO CLOSE CAN TAKE YOU SO FAR).  I found two trademarks for Iron Bowl (one for articles of clothing, the other for arranging athletic events) – in this instance, the trademark was registered to both Auburn University and the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama.  Both of those were cancelled in August of 2008 – and in October of 2008, UA registered another Iron Bowl trademark (without Auburn).

I cannot overemphasize the wealth of information that the USPTO puts on its website – they have taken the time to put up a lot of information for the public.  However, if you have trouble finding what you’re looking for, you can always contact a Patent and Trademark Depository Library for assistance.

EPA Air Pollution Data

Thursday’s Tuscaloosa News contained an article about the high levels of air pollution in Holt.  The data that the conclusion is based on comes from the 2002 National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA), the purpose of which is “to identify and prioritize air toxics, emission source types and locations which are of greatest potential concern in terms of contributing to population risk.”

The NATA website includes the raw data which can be downloaded, various maps showing carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic areas of the U.S., frequently asked questions, Assessment Methods and Limitations, and more.  As the article points out, the data being used is from 2002 – and there have been changes since then. (Notably, the closing of Empire Coke.)

More information on emissions and air quality can be found on the EPA and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management websites.

Burials being conducted at Veterans’ Cemetery

Last year I posted some information about the Alabama VA National Cemetery that was being built in Montevallo.  The cemetery was open for a Memorial Day ceremony; and this morning the cemetery accepted its first burials.

For more information on scheduling burials in the cemetery, or regulations guiding grave decorations, check out the cemetery’s new page on the VA website.

The Wild Turkey in Alabama

No, I’m not talking about the bourbon, I’m talking about the fowl. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has produced a book entitled “The Wild Turkey in Alabama.”   The book, which is roughly 108 pages long, can be downloaded for free from the agency’s web site.  According to the description, the book “is provided as a tool to assist landowners and land managers in Alabama with the application of habitat enhancement strategies for wild turkey management. In addition, it can be used to guide harvest structures and how to collect harvest data.”  There are chapters on food habits and nutrition, diseases, population control, and more!  It even includes charts that help you determine what crops to plant for wild turkeys (in warm and cool seasons).

Unfortunately I haven’t figured out if it’s possible to purchase a copy of the book – you may want to contact the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries for more info. (Tuscaloosa County is in District III, btw.)

Moral Turpitude Update

If you’ve paid any attention to this blog, you may know about my ‘fascination’ with the issue of moral turpitude – and Alabama’s attempts to define it.  Given that the Regular Session of the Legislature has ended, I thought I’d update you on their actions (or inactions) related to moral turpitude.

The four bills I highlighted a few months ago, HB327, HB436, SB168, and SB299, did not pass.  As far as I can tell, nothing has happened in the executive branch either.  So…we continue to be governed by a phrase that’s not defined, legally, in the state.  Think it’ll be cleared up by next year’s gubernatorial election?

Hurricane Season 2009

Today marks the first day of the 2009 hurricane season. To help you prepare, the Alabama Hurricane Center has pulled together resources from across state and federal government – including road closures, Gulf of Mexico radar and satellite views, Alabama weather radio transmitters by county, and information on hurricane severity scales.

If you’re interested in finding out about hurricanes that aren’t close to Alabama, the National Hurricane Center has all kinds of information about hurricane forecasts, satellite views, previous hurricane seasons, etc. I know that I always have to check and see if my name is on the list of hurricane names for a given season – alas, I have to wait until 2012 for the possibility of Hurricane Valerie.

Additional government resources can be found at USA.gov’s Hurricanes’ site. And in case you’re wondering, NOAA forecasters “say a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season is most likely this year.”