May 2004

The word BARBEQUE is perhaps derived from the Taino Indian word BARBACOA, the name of a meat-smoking apparatus.  Via about.com.

Henry Ford invented the charcoal briquette in order to recycle wood left over from the manufacture of his cars.

History of hot dogs here.

Pictured: The Big Gogriller, a grill that attaches

Anheuser Busch is running ads targeted at MILLER indicating that Miller Lite is ‘the Queen of Carbs’ and, now this is hitting below the belt, that it is “South African owned.”  Miller sued on false advertising.  The statements were made by Frank and Louie, the Bud lizards.  The carbs allegation has not been heard yet however

A company named Q-Med purchased what turned out to be a counterfeit ETHICON surgical mesh (a wire mesh implanted into the body to strengthen injured muscle wall).  At least 15 patients have the counterfeit mesh implanted in their bodies.  The FDA doubts whether the fake mesh is even sterile.  Story here.

Side-by-side comparison supplied

Information Holdings Inc. is the parent company of such IP-service companies as TRADEMARK.COM, MICROPATENT, AURIGIN and MASTER DATA.  According to printed reports in the Wall Street Journal, it may be putting itself up for sale.  Thomson, parent of T&T, was identified as a potential bidder.

Google news coverage here, IHI press release here

Professor Mark Lemley has written an article entitled : Ex Ante Versus Ex Post Justifications for Intellectual Property

From the abstract (article available here):

The traditional theory of IP is that the prospect of future reward provides an ex ante incentive to innovate. An increasingly common justification for longer and more powerful IP rights

Someone other than the ‘real’ Omarosa (that is to say the Omarosa from that TV show) filed a trademark application for OMAROSA.  Via The Smoking Gun.

A year from now that application should be as valuable as those applications for SHOCK AND AWE.