Mesothelioma HelpWritten by Margaret Wommack
According to National Cancer Institute, mesothelioma is a malignant cancer of pleura, peritoneum, and pericardium (the sacs lining chest, abdominal cavity and heart). Malignant mesothelioma has been linked to asbestos exposure, and those exposed to more asbestos or for a longer duration are likely to have more intense cases of mesothelioma. People stopped using asbestos in insulation materials in 1970s, so with 20 to 50 year latency period between exposure and acquisition of mesothelioma, many are just now discovering that they have cancer.People usually come into contact with asbestos through construction jobs or clothes of family members working on construction sights. Asbestos is an insulation material used in pipes, boilers, cements, plasters, joint compounds, fireproofing spray, firebrick, gunnite, furnaces, roofs, floors, ceiling tiles, transite siding, brakes and clutches. Thus, construction workers most exposed to asbestos include insulation intallers, boilermakers, plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, plasterers, shipyard workers, those in Navy, electricians, mechanics, bricklayers, millwrights, carpenters, steel workers, and maintenance workers. Sites with largest concentration of asbestos include shipyards, power plants, refineries, paper mills, manufacturing plants, foundries, and construction sites.
| | Intellectual Property Protection: Legal Right ProtectionWritten by Margaret Wommack
Intellectual property, although intangible, is still ownable and your intellectual property rights should be protected. Modern business, especially since rise of internet has seen a rise in creation of intellectual property. However internet makes it even easier for someone to steal your ideas and work. An intellectual property lawyer who is trained to help reclaim patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret rights can help protect your intellectual property.Types of intellectual property include patents, trademarks and trade dress, copyrights, and trade secrets. Patents A patent is granted by government allowing a (usually) 20 year monopoly on an invention previously “not generally known.” Patents are intended to encourage investment in research and development. If you create a new useful process for doing something, a machine, manufacture, or even an improvement on something already in existence, you can patent your invention and prohibit others from “making, using, offering for sale, or selling…or importing” invention in U.S. Your right to patent your invention is a constitutional right (Article I, section 8). Patents are subdivided into three groups: design, utility, and plant. Design patents protect innovations in appearance (although not structure or function) of an item. Utility patents are for wholly new inventions including machines, industrial processes, compositions of matter, and articles of manufacture. Plant patents cover innovations in plant-life, such as new species of plant created from reproduction of cuttings and grafts of existing plants. Patent lawyers will research previously granted patents for you to see if a similar product has already been patented or whether you should apply for a patent for your invention. A patent attorney will also tell you if your idea is not patentable because it is a law of nature, a physical phenomena, or abstract. You should find a specialized patent or intellectual property attorney because in order to prosecute a client’s patent application, he or she must be registered with U.S. patent office. A patent lawyer will also have to have passed a science and engineering exam to better understand and serve clients. Trademarks Trademarks are granted for words, names, symbols, or devices which separate and distinguish businesses and services. These include arbitrary names such as Kodak, suggestive names such as Caterpillar (tractors), descriptive names which indicated business’ products or services, and generic names which are descriptive. Generic and some descriptive names cannot be protected, so a trademark or intellectual property lawyer should be consulted to see if your name qualifies for trademark rights. You can also file an intent-to-use application to reserve a name that will later be trademarked. (This is especially important with expansion of business on internet.)
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