I bet you didn’t know there was a Patent and Trademark Depository in Oregon. Well, there is!
It’s hosted (and we thank them!) by the Lewis & Clark Boley Law Library, in SW Portland.
Another recent blog post about patent law, from beSpecific: Anatomy of a Patent Case.
It’s hard to keep up with all the new laws coming out of Salem. Here’s a news story from KOHD News describing how Governor Kulongoski signed 24 bills into law on June 2, 2009 – just try reading those in one day!
You can find other bills signed into law at the Governor’s website.
Find other Oregon Legal Research blog posts about Legislation by clicking on keywords in the side-bar’s LABELS list.
You have to love law librarians and others who go where others fear to tread (e.g. the journalist who forced open some MP (Member of Parliament) records about their taxpayer funded expenditures).
Mary Whisner, at the Gallagher Law Library, University of Washington, has posted a link to her article about the Law Behind the Mattress Tags (101 Law Libr. J. 235 (2009)).
(The Law Library Journal archives can also be found at the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) website.)
We meet a lot of people who want to start a business but don’t know where to begin.
Entrepreneurs with great ideas don’t always have good business sense, but they can acquire it – or find business partners who have it. And even if you have good business sense, you still need to know the law.
Before you start looking for a store front (or shingle), a business name, or investing in anything (especially if it eats), read Starting a Business guides from the Oregon Corporation Division.
This question came from a reader who came upon the Oregon Legal Research blog while doing some research.
About Oregon small claims court and damages: Judges and mediators in Oregon small claims courts have a fair amount of discretion when working with plaintiffs and defendants on resolving their disuptes. This discretion includes working with the parties to decide on what damage claims should be honored In the Interest of Justice.
Some things to keep in mind:
WisLaw blog reports on BillFinder, a free service from StateScape. Whether you’re reading, drafting, tracking, or merely surfing new legislation, it’s a powerful little tool, for no cost. Amazing.
Try it out: BillFinder
Are there free, online, downloadable, official forms you can use to write a legally enforceable Oregon will?
Sorry, but the answer is no, at least not if you want your will to do what you intend and be legally enforceable. Oregon wills, and other estate planning documents, are not Wash & Wear, Click & Go, One-Size-Fits-All, or Eat and Run.
Will-drafting cannot be done on the fly, on Twitter (though I’m sure it has been tried – and may one day soon be tried in court), or with anything other than serious thought, study, and drafting skill. This is not to say one can’t draft a will oneself, or write one quickly in an emergency.
Determining Copyright Status is not unlike the search for the Holy Grail. Here is an updated list of resources:
1) WorldCat’s Copyright Evidence Registry
2) See also, from LLRX: “Can Collaboration Solve Copyright Status Questions? The WorldCat Copyright Evidence Registry,” by Roger V. Skalbeck, May 12, 2009
“Oregon AG Public Records and Meetings Manual” and Superseded ORSs
My Oregon public law librarian “Please, sir, I want some more” Wish List is not long:
1) Superseded Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS). Is there a reason why the Legislature cannot put the superseded ORSs on the Legislature’s Bills and Laws website? Do they know how important superseded statutes, laws, and calendars are to lawyers (and to their clients)? They (superseded ORSs) are priceless! Ask any lawyer, especially after Gaines.
If you want or need to track Oregon consumer law legislation, here are two recent bills that may be of interest. And, here is the press release: Senate votes to strengthen Oregon’s Lemon Law, another tool for tracking legislation (and part of a law’s legislative history, though who knows if copies of the press releases are always put in the bill files).
SB 515 (html or PDF): “Changes period in which remedy is available to consumer for motor vehicle that does not conform to manufacturer’s warranty.”
HB 2268 (html or PDF): “Requires vehicle repair shop to prepare estimate of work that vehicle repair shop proposes to perform on motor vehicle before beginning work. Specifies contents of estimate. Requires vehicle repair shop to obtain separate, specific authorization for certain types of work if work is estimated to cost motor vehicle owner or owner’s designee more than $200.”
Oregon Legal Research Blog