Choon’s, Cra-Z-Art Issue Statements Over Patent Judgment
Choon’s Design issued a statement saying that its patent for its Rainbow Loom rubber band bracelet making kit has been validated after an unsuccessful challenge by LaRose Industries, maker of the Cra-Z-Loom. Following a review, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) confirmed that the Rainbow Loom’s creator Cheong-Choon Ng is deserving of U.S. Patent 8,485,565, granted in July 2013.
The specific patent in question involves Choon’s innovative design for the Rainbow Loom’s Brunnian link-making device, which is used to create brightly colored bands into customizable bracelets. This outcome allows his company, Choon’s Design, to better defend their intellectual property against imitation kits that have flooded the market following the Rainbow Loom’s incredible success.
“It’s very gratifying to know that our hard work has been protected and upheld by the granted patent,” said Choon, an independent inventor and entrepreneur, in a statement. “This result encourages our team at Choon’s Design to continue innovating and designing new products, knowing that we can fully protect our inventions.”
The Rainbow Loom’s widespread popularity and commercial success, lead to copycat loom kits appearing on the shelves of several major U.S. retailers. To help protect his patent, Choon enlisted the help of patent attorney John Siragusa.
“With the incredible success behind the Rainbow Loom, it was inevitable that copycats would try to profit off Choon’s work,” said Siragusa. “Now we can move forward knowing that the U.S. Patent Office has held the patent to be valid and take the appropriate steps to defend his rightful intellectual property against these imitations.”
The newly validated patent for the Rainbow Loom will be good through 2031. Choon’s Design and Carlson, Gaskey & Olds will continue to pursue additional intellectual property protection for their new designs and inventions, both in the United States and worldwide.
LaRose Industries issued the following statement in response. “While it is true that Cra-Z-Art was sued by Choon’s alleging that Cra-Z-Art’s Cra-Z-Loom bracelet makers infringe the ‘565’ Patent, Cra-Z-Art elected to take its fight with Choon’s to the USPTO by filing a petition for Inter Partes Review (IPR) against the ‘565’ Patent. Because Choon’s only alleged infringement of 11 of the ‘565’ Patent’s 18 claims, the IPR only challenged the validity of the asserted claims based on a number of prior art loom publications. When the USPTO adopted Cra-Z-Art’s invalidity arguments with respect to seven of the 11 challenged claims, Choon’s surrendered by (1) voluntarily cancelling the seven claims that the USPTO found to be invalid based upon Cra-Z-Art’s prior art challenges, and (2) filing an adverse judgment against itself in order to terminate the IPR. The foregoing results hardly champion the validity of the ‘565’ Patent. Rather, they leave a damaged and severely weakened patent, which is now subject to additional invalidity challenges based upon newly discovered prior art publications, as well as a myriad of other challenges that are not permitted under the IPR rules. In fact, Cra-Z-Art has authorized its lawyers to file a second IPR against the claims of the ‘565’ Patent. And even if the remaining claims of the ‘565’ Patent somehow survive Cra-Z-Art’s additional invalidity challenges, Cra-Z-Art is confident that Choon’s infringement allegations are without any basis and plans to vigorously defend against them.”
WWE Network Goes Global
The U.S. English language version of WWE Network is now available in more than 170 countries and territories, including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, Spain, and the Nordics, among others. The network is expected to be live in the UK by this October and plans for the network in Italy, UAE, Germany, Japan, India, China, Thailand, and Malaysia will be announced at a later date.
For $9.99 per month with a six-month commitment, fans will have access to 24/7 programming, all 12 live WWE pay-per-view events, and the most comprehensive video-on-demand library. In addition, subscribers can now choose a monthly offering at $12.99 with no commitment and the ability to cancel at any time. The $12.99 price point is a change from the previously announced $19.99 monthly plan and allows WWE to offer an option with no commitment that WWE says better reflects the variety of economies that exist internationally.
Fans are able to subscribe online by going to WWE.com. WWE Network will be made available internationally across all platforms including web, mobile, gaming consoles, and connected devices.
WWE also announced that WWE Network will be available on Samsung Smart TV devices, Sony internet-connected TVs, Blu-ray disc players, and Blu-ray home theater systems.
Skylanders Trap Team Available on Tablets
Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc., announced that it will bring the complete Skylanders Trap Team videogame to tablets at launch, marking the first time a full Skylanders game will be available on iPad, Kindle Fire, and Android tablets day-and-date with the console version. The tablet version of the game delivers the same experience with console-quality graphics and comes with its own high-performance controller.
Trending on TTPM: Popular Character Books
TTPM is showcasing what’s trending in each specific product category. Today it’s Popular Character Books. This trending list is determined by consumers. It’s the number of page views for that item in the previous 30 days and is updated every 24 hours.