Small Business Makes BIG Donation to Hurricane Sandy Children

Newberg, Oregon – Judith Raye Paintings, LLC (http://www.judithraye.com) is partnering with Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. (K.I.D.S.)( http://www.kidsdonations.org)  and has already donated dozens of new toddler tee-shirts and onesies from their Inspired by Caden collection to children affected by Hurricane Sandy.  

According to Smith, she is honored to be working with a charity that already does so much for needy children. K.I.D.S. helps children that are victims in a variety of situations. In the days following Hurricane Sandy, they mobilized their resources and immediately established a Hurricane Relief Fund to respond to the need for new products for children and families affected by the super storm.

According to the K.I.D.S. VP, Chris Blake, the agencies in the affected communities are in dire need of new apparel, blankets, shoes, toys, baby products and books.  K.I.D.S. has set up major distribution sites in Queens, New Jersey and other locations. For more information about K.I.D.S. and how you can help, visit their website at http://www.kidsdonations.org.

Judith Raye Smith is a grandmother who started painting to decorate her granddaughter’s walls. Her adventure has turned into much more and her one-of-a-kind artwork is now sold on clothing, note cards and other products. You can learn more about her products, and more specifically her efforts to help in the Hurricane Sandy relief, at her website http://www.judithraye.com/online-store/#!/~/category/id=4015029&offset=0&sort=normal. 

Smith is the owner and co-creator, with her husband Rawlen, of Judith Raye Paintings, LLC.  She can be reached for comment at judithraye@frontier.com or by phone at 503.784.9638.

Judith Raye Paintings, LLC online: http://www.judithraye.com

Judith Raye Paintings, LLC on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Judith-Raye-Paintings/228659330488584

Judith Raye on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/JudithRayeArt

Have you identified and protected your intellectual property?

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But as inventors you may ask if the AIA makes inventorship and some of the record keeping and dates obsolete? Traklight’s CPO Eric Menkhus discusses below:

The US patent system is about to undergo one of the most extensive changes in its history, moving away from “first to invent” system that has been the backbone of the US patent system for as long as any of us can remember.

The America Invent Act (AIA) will start being phased in starting in March 2013, implementing many changes that will move the US patent system closer to the systems of many foreign countries. 

But will the change make inventorship obsolete in the US? After all, most foreign jurisdictions operate on a "first to file" system that rewards those that file a patent application first and not those who invent first.

The short answer to whether inventorship will still matter in the US is YES! Here are a couple important reasons why inventorship will still matter:

1. The AIA will not move the US to a pure "first to file" system. The AIA implements a system that rewards the first INVENTOR to file. So, proving inventorship of the patentable subject matter will still be an important step to obtaining and/or defending a patent.

2. Date of invention will still matter, although in a different manner than under the old system.  In the "first to invent" system, the person that invented first received priority when to applications were filed on the same invention, so proving an invention date was critical.  Under the new system, the date of invention can still be important in situations in which one party is trying to prove that the other merely copied their invention and are not inventors and cannot, therefore, obtain a patent on the invention. Being able to show when an invention was made and other important dates such as publication, etc. can greatly assist an inventor in proving that someone else filed an application based on learning about the inventor's idea.

So what does this mean? This means that keeping updated notes and dates will still be important under the AIA.  Don't throw away those inventors' notebooks! Or, of course, you can migrate your inventors' notebook and other records online using Traklight's IP Vault so you can have third party verification of dates, times, etc.

Visit www.traklight.com to learn more about identifying and protecting your IP. Before you disclose your IP, before you raise capital, before you go to market. Go to Traklight today!