IP and Katrina

• As many reports plainly show, there is little that survived Katrina.

  However, IPFrontline reports Intellectual Property Survives Hurricane Katrina. The author states "it occurred to me that intellectual property - copyrighted artwork, patented inventions, computer code, brand names - may be all that remains of thousands of innovative businesses in the New Orleans, Gulfport, Biloxi, Mobile and other Gulf coast areas. In certain other institutions - hospitals and universities, for example - intellectual property licensing may in fact be the primary way to collect new revenues for some time to come."

  I guess the nifty thing about intangible property is that it can survive even a category 5 hurricane.

• There is an interesting post at The Trademark Blog: Seized Counterfeit Goods Given To Katrina Evacuees. The post refers to a Washington Times article, and asks whether this type of distribution has happened before. It also brings up a point about the safety of the goods. Usually seized goods are destroyed (after a final determination of infringement).

  I also found another Washington Times article about this. Are the policy reasons for destruction of infringing goods overridden by the necessity of the hurricane victims? What if there has not been a final determination of infringement? Why weren't the goods already destroyed? Things that make me go hmmm.

Update 9-12-05: The USPTO considers Katrina to be an "extraordinary situation," so if you were affected and have late maintenance fees as a result, you're off the hook. But the USPTO urges you to act promptly to remedy the delay.