Legal Marketing

Research Off the Shelf - MAY, 2011: Vol. 12, No. 5 - Selections

SUBJECT SEARCHING FOCUS ON:

"Patents 101: A Very Basic Introduction to the World of Patent Searching for Non-Patent Searchers"  By Martin Goffman and Ron Kaminecki, http://web.fumsi.com/go/article/find/63634

 Resources for Going Global: The U.S. Commercial Service, a division of the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce, sponsors and participates in many events and webinars that help U.S. exporters sell overseas and help overseas buyers learn about U.S. exports. The Commercial Service has a searchable database of these events worldwide at http://www.export.gov/tradeevents/index.asp (www.fita.org)

DOING BUSINESS 2011 Making a Difference for Entrepreneurs
The Doing Business project of the World Bank provides objective measures of business regulations for local firms in 183 economies and selected cities at the subnational level. Doing Business reports gather and analyze comprehensive quantitative data to compare business regulation environments across economies and over time. Annual reports offer measurable benchmarks for reform. Detailed subnational reports cover different cities and regions within a nation.

Doing Business 2011 is now available. Visit the link and download the full report for free. Results are not surprising: as usual the report specify that doing business remains easiest in the high-income economies of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development and most difficult in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Nevertheless, unexpected economies such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Rwanda, Cape Verde, Brunei Darussalam and Zambia take part in list of the 10 most-improved economies, side by side to Hungary, Peru, Vietnam, and Grenada. www.doingbusiness.org/reports  (http://www.fita.org/)

Research Off the Shelf - DECEMBER, 2010: Vol. 25, No. 12 - Selections

WHAT’S NEW: From Information Today: Introduction to information science and technology (1 vol., $59.50); Implementing technology solutions in libraries – techniques, tools, and tips from the trenches (1 vol., $35); Research on Main Street – using the web to find local business and market information (1 vol., $29.95; Note – by Marcy Phelps, my fellow AIIP member!); Dancing with digital natives – staying in step with the generation that’s transforming the way business is done (1 vol., $27.95); Information nation: education and careers in the emerging information professions (1 vol., $35) www.infotoday.com

From Neal-Schuman: Why blog? Motivations for blogging (1 vol., $99.95); News and current affairs search and monitoring with RSS (1 vol., $99.95) www.neal-schuman.com

COOL SITES:  Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary http://libra.englang.arts.gla.ac.uk/historicalthesaurus/menu1.html. See a description at: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

RESEARCH TIPS:   For those of you who research government information, here is a major change: “The FDsys”: is replacing GPO Access: "GPO Access will be going away soon as the U.S. Government Printing Office rolls out the Federal Digital System (FDsys), an advanced digital system that will enable GPO to manage Government information from all three branches of the U.S. Government. Learn about the new system and its features, what content is available through it, and search strategies. Not only is FDsys a powerful tool for the public to access online, authoritative Federal information, but it also serves as a preservation repository for the content and a content management system for Federal agencies." http://www.llrx.com/fdsys.htm

Research Off the Shelf - NOVEMBER, 2010: Vol. 25, No. 11 - Selections

COOL SITES: The Alternative View is a multilingual, language-learning platform to improve reading and comprehension  skills. Users can read an article in a foreign language, and view it side-by-side with their native language. When I tried it, I found several very interesting scientific articles. http://www.altview.net/

SUBJECT SEARCHING:   Sometimes it is quicker and easier to use commercial databases.  Government and Politics: The Political Contact Suite from CQ Press contains “nearly 150,000 contacts, profiles, and biographies of the members and staff of Congress, the federal government, the judiciary... worldwide governments.”  See www.cqpress.com for more information.

Historical dictionaries: Scarecrow Press publishes a wide assortment of historical dictionaries. Here are a few: Golf ($99); French Theater ($85); Japanese cinema ($95); The Catalans ($85); The Jews ($70) http://www.scarecrowpress.com/

Trade Show Notices and News: Learn how to maximize your trade show success with the blog trade-show-advisor.com. Find some tips, manage your schedule, receive direct notices and news through the RSS feed. www.trade-show-advisor.com (Courtesy of www.fita.org)

RESEARCH TIPS:  Need to do your own market research? Here are some books that might help. From Paramount Books: Refocusing focus groups (1 vol. $19.95); Custom survveys within your budget – Maximizing profits through effective online research design (1 vol., $29.95); Qualitative tips, tricks and trends – what every researcher should know (1 vol., $34.95); Opportunity screams – unlocking hearts and minds in today’s idea economy (1 vol., $24.95): “Customers want to be surprised, and to be proud that they are associated with you and your products. If customers believe you have their best interests at heart, they will be yours forever.” http://www.paramountbooks.com/

Research Off the Shelf - OCTOBER, 2010: Vol. 25, No. 10 - Selections

COMPANY NEWS:  We are being asked to research and compile list of companies, organizations and/or consumers for marketing and prospecting. Is this a sign that the economy is improving?

WHAT’S NEW:   From Neal-Schuman: Finding the Answers to Legal Questions: A How-To-Do-It Manual (1 vol., $75) www.neal-schuman.com/

From Scarecrow Press:  Historical dictionary of science fiction cinema (1 vol., $80.00) www.neal-schuman.com/

SUBJECT SEARCHING: Worldwide Yellow Pages: Superpages.com is a guide to online Yellow Pages of most countries. Choose the region you want to focus on and browse the country of your choice. This website is a good resource to get direct access to business directories around the world with a few clicks. http://www.superpages.com/global/ Note: this is really cool! I found my former French boyfriend!

Need tax forms from other countries? International Tax Institute has the corporate tax forms of 34 countries, in English, in electronic format and in one place.  They are in PDF Format. A subscription includes a CD-ROM containing the forms PLUS emailed updates for a one-year period. Annual Fee $650.00 USD. http://www.itinet.org/

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

September 25−October 2, 2010

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.  Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.

Info on ALA site:

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

This event focuses on the United States. But other countries have also banned books.

See a List of books banned by governments:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_banned_by_governments

 

Research Off the Shelf - JULY, 2010: Vol. 25, No. 7 - Selections

COMPANY NEWS:  We’ve posted AALL conference news and vendor information to our blog.  Our own Trade Show Follow-up^TM plan is working great. Vendors: If you would like us to post information about your company, please call or e-mail us. It doesn’t matter if you   exhibited or not, you can still be included.

 

COOL SITE:  International Living - Might life be better overseas? Is exotic life in a tropical paradise just for the rich and famous? Find out on Internationalliving.com. The website aims to find places around the world that are cheaper...healthier...safer... Discover them by browsing online articles. An ideal source of inspiration while investigating the best opportunities for real estate, travel, retirement, and investment. (courtesy of http://www.fita.org/)

 

COST SAVINGS TIPS: New on LLRX.com: Law Libraries Transformed – “Law libraries have evolved to become a service offered by talented professionals whose expertise can now be accessed at anytime, anywhere.” Read this article to find out trends in law libraries, how firms can save money, and most importantly – what we do! (some of what we do) http://www.llrx.com/features/lawlibrariestransformed.htm

 

RESEARCH TIPS: LLRX.com is a great resource for law and technology on the Internet.

New on LLRX.com - Basic Legal Research on the Internet.  Contains advice on doing legal research on the Internet, a list of primary sources, and secondary sources. http://www.llrx.com/features/basiclegalresearchinternet.htm.

 

Research Off the Shelf - JUNE, 2010: Volume 11, No. 6 - Selections

COMPANY NEWS:  For only the third time since 1985, Ruth will not be going to the AALL (American Association of Law Libraries) conference, which is being held in Denver this year. However, just because she can’t be there in person doesn’t mean she’ll be missing out on all the interesting things happening in the exhibit hall. Watch our newsletter, blog and LinkedIn sites for information from the vendors and more as we put our own Trade Show Follow-up^TM plan to work

 

COOL SITE:  Old Magazine Articles is a free site that contains articles on popular culture, history, sports, cartoons. “It is a primary source website and is designed to serve as a reference for students, educators, authors, researchers, dabblers, dilettantes, hacks and the merely curious.” http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/

Have you ever wondered what Manhattan looked like before it was paved over?  The Mannahatta Project at the Wildlife Conservation Society has un-covered the original ecology of  Manhattan. http://themannahattaproject.org/

 

INTERNET:  New York Heritage is a web site for New York History. Browse collections by institution from libraries, museums and archives from across the state. http://www.newyorkheritage.org/.  See also http://www.wnylegacy.org/ for newspaper archives.

WHAT’S NEW:  From Edward Elgar: Governance for the environment (1 vol., $115); Twenty-first century macroeconomics (1 vol., paperback edition, $49) http://www.e-elgar.com/

 From Bernan: Health Care Reform: Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act, Public Law 111-148 and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Public Law 111-152 (1 vol., $35); OECD Factbook 2010: Economic, Environmental and Social Statistics (1 vol., $70); Social Security Handbook: Overview of Social Security Programs (Large Print Edition) 2010 (1 vol., $60) http://www.bernan.com/

New from Liberty Fund: The history of English law before the time of Edward I (2 vols., $72). For more interesting titles on history, law, economics, classical studies and more, see their website http://www.libertyfund.org/

SUBJECT SEARCHING: Health Care Legislation Resources

http://www.healthlawyers.org/Pages/Default.aspx - American Health Lawyers Association – links to print products, links to health law websites. Some content is members only.

http://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/Health/tabid/160/Default.aspx  - The National Congress of State Legislatures  - a resource for state and federal legislation, they have up to date information on Health Care Reform on the Federal and State level. Includes Fact Sheets on key provisions and mp3 recordings on website.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR03590:@@@S – Link to H.R.3590 http://www.gpo.gov/pdfs/news-media/press/10news12.pdf - Links to the bills

 

Research Off the Shelf - MAY, 2010: Volume 11, No. 5 - Selections

COOL SITE: With Google Transliterate, you type a Roman character on your keyboard and Google transliterates it to the equivalent character in 19 languages. While this doesn't offer the translation feature of Google Translated Search, it lets you run a quick search to see the number of mentions of a name or brand in a language you cannot easily type on your keyboard. Note: this is useful if you are trying to trace your ancestors who came over here from Russia! (Thanks to Information Services, www.BatesInfo.com/tip.html)

 

INTERNET: World Bank Announces free access to its online databases on living standards around the globe—some 2,000 indicators, including hundreds that go back 50 years. data.worldbank.org

 

WHAT’S NEW: From Oxford University Press: The Oxford handbook of banking (1 vol., $150); Evaluation of capacity to consent to treatment and research (1 vol., $35); The Fragmentation of U.S. Health Care Causes and Solutions (1 vol., $85); Problem Solving, Decision Making, and Professional Judgment - A Guide for Lawyers and Policymakers (1 vol., $45) www.oup.com/us

 

From Bernan: Occupational Outlook Handbook (Cloth) 2010-2011 (1 vol., $39); Social Security Handbook: Overview of Social Security Programs 2010 (1 vol., $60); Handbook of U.S. Labor Statistics: Employment, Earnings, Prices, Productivity, and Other Labor Data 13th Edition, 2010 (1 vol., $154); County and city extra 2010 – Annual metro, city and county data book, 18^th ed. (1 vol., $130); Computer Forensics: A Pocket Guide (1 vol., $14.95) http://www.bernan.com/

 

From Scarecrow Press: Keeping people safe: the human dynamics of injury prevention (1 vol., $50); Go get that grant! A practical guide for libraries and non-profit organizations (1 vol., $35)  http://www.scarecrowpress.com/

Research Off the Shelf - FEBRUARY, 2010: Vol. 11, No. 2 - Selections

WHAT’S NEW: From Wiley: Wiley handbook of technology for homeland security (1 vol., $1650) (http://www.wiley.com/)

 

From Nolo Press: Making it legal: same-sex marriange, domestic partnerships & civil unions (1 vol. $29.99); The sharing solution: how to prosper while sharing resources, simplifying your life & building communities (1 vol., $24.99); The Women’s small business start-up kit – a step-by-step legal guide (1 vol., $29.99); The judge who hated red nail polish & other crazy but true stories of law and lawyers (1 vol., $19.99); Bankruptcy for small business owners – how to file for Chapter 7 (1 vol., $39.99); Business loans from family & friends – how to ask, make it legal & make it work (1 vol., $29.99) (http://www.nolo.com/)

 

From Government Institutes:  Space flight – history, technology, and operations (1 vol., $55); Falls aren’t funny: America’s multi-billion dollar slip-and-fall crisis (1 vol., $29.95); Social security handbook: Overview of social security programs, 2009 (1 vol., $60) (www.govinstpress.com)

 

SUBJECT SEARCHING: Trademarks - International IP Agencies
Are you looking into trademarking your business or product name in the U.S.? If so, visit the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) (http://tess2.uspto.gov/) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (http://www.uspto.gov/). Use the TESS to verify that a trademark is not already in use or that it is sufficiently different from existing trademarks.

International Trademarks are governed by the Madrid System (http://www.wipo.int/madrid/en/guide/)  which is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (http://www.wipo.int/portal/index.html.en). Marks registered under the Madrid System are available online on the WIPO website in the Madrid Express Database or through its official publication, the E-Gazette (http://www.wipo.int/madrid/en/services/madrid_express.htm; http://www.wipo.int/madridgazette/en/). The WIPO website also has a list of National Intellectual Property Offices (http://www.wipo.int/directory/en/)  that you can use to verify trademark registrations in specific geographical areas or countries. (http://www.fita.org/)

COOL SITES:  If you like doing puzzles, see www.crickler.com for a different twist to crosswords. (Thanks to Rachel Rubinstein for the suggestion of this Cool Site).   

Research Off the Shelf - NOVEMBER, 2009: Vol. 10, No. 10 - Selections

WHAT’S NEW: From Oxford University Press: The Oxford international encyclopedia of legal history (6 vols., $895); Government as entrepreneur (1 vol., $35); The role of science in law (1 vol., $75); The Fourth amendment – origins and original meaning 602-1791 (the story of the...amendment’s lineage, including its roots in England.; 1 vol., $150) Family Business: Litigation and the political economies of daily life in early modern France (1 vol., $125)(www.oup.com/us) (I know most of you don’t care about this, but it sounds interesting to me and it’s my newsletter so I can put in whatever I want!)

 

From Delta Alpha Publishing: Encyclopedia of Real Estate Terms (Third & ONLINE Editions) (1 vol., € 93.50; also on CD-ROM; http://www.deltaalpha.com)

 

INTERNET:   Free ebook: Pay now or pay later: exposing the cost of "free" information. Published by Dow Jones, this ebook gives you great ideas of how to use information and where to find it.

http://solutions.dowjones.com/ebook/2009/PDF/PNPL_ebook.pdf

 

New from Leadership Directories: Leadership® Congress Basic is the perfect online reference for anyone working with people and organizations on Capitol Hill. Search over 15,000 listings of Members and staff, including individuals in D.C. and state offices and full caucus, task force, and other member organization listings. ($515/year on line subscription)(www.leadershipdirectories.com)

SUBJECT SEARCHING:  Government Information: The Government Printing Office (GPO) recently announced the release of 8 new collections into the Federal Digital System (FDsys). This provides public access to Government information submitted by Congress and Federal agencies. (http://www.fdsys.gov/) .