Posts Tagged: "taxi"

Flying Cars, Drone Taxis and Other Futuristic Personal Transportation

While many of us long for the days to come in which our sedans or SUVs can suddenly sprout wings, taking us far away from congestive traffic blocking up interstate highways, there have been some developments in recent years bringing us closer to the reality of drone taxis or personal unmanned aerial systems (UAS) as a replacement for cars. Such technologies were the focus of discussion at the recent House Aviation Subcommittee hearing on new aircraft technologies. Flying cars and their development is not limited to the United States as recent reports indicate that several Japanese companies are working on a project roadmap for flying car development that will be released by the end of this year. In late August, Uber announced that it was looking into the potential of developing test sites for flying cars in five countries outside of the U.S. With the future of flying vehicles for personal transportation coming into more focus, we wanted to explore filings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to see the current state of flying car technologies, both in the patent grants being issued by the UPSTO as well as in the patent applications being filed at the agency.

Steve Brachmann

September 29, 2018

A Conversation with a Remarkable Man

This is not about intellectual property or tech transfer. Rather this chance meeting brought to mind Ernest Hemingway’s saying: “Grace under pressure is the measure of a man.” If you agree with Hemingway then perhaps the story a cab driver told me during our 30 minute ride will be of interest… As we pulled into the airport he said: “My friend, learn to face your problems with calmness and dignity. Never compromise your principles. Take the cards you have been dealt and play them as wisely as you can.” I shook his hand and left with a lot to think about. Perhaps the next time we confront unfair attacks, either personal, professional or political his words will resonate.

Joseph Allen

February 27, 2018

Uber IP: A primer on the patents, trademarks and copyrights owned by Uber

Uber has also obtained design patent protection for its user interfaces. The user interfaces would not be eligible for protection under trademark law, therefore, design patent protection is the strongest form of protection available. This protection prevents competitors or other companies from mimicking the Uber app interfaces, thus eliminating customer confusion. As the term of any design patent only lasts for 15 years, Uber will not be able to maintain the protection of the interfaces indefinitely. However, Uber will possibly be able to invoke common law trade dress protection after the expiration of design patents.

Audrey Ogurchak

July 23, 2016

Uber’s $50 billion valuation propped up by data mining practices

Is Uber really a technology company? Essentially, Uber runs a car service and at first glance the company is no more a technology company than any other company that happens to have an app, such as your local grocery store. But as you dig deeper you start to see that Uber’s value is not in running a car service, but rather in mining all kinds of data from the devices of those using its service. In fact, Uber’s privacy policy, which governs the information users allow them to collect from their devices, is substantially longer than the document labeled “terms of service.”

Gene Quinn & Steve Brachmann

May 22, 2015