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Ad-Tabs® are Legal

Ad-Tabs® are legal in all 50 states because of our patent. Just as Publishers Clearing House and McDonalds® have promotions anchored with a sweepstakes so does Ad-Tabs®. We have a patent that states that it is a legal way of vending a coupon. The patent also gives Ad-Tabs® backing by the federal government to vend coupons.

Opinion obtained from JustAnswer.com on October 9th 2008

Question:

If & when a business method patent & TM's are issued, can individual states law enforcement reinterpret the patent and TM's to mean something different in each state or they bound by the USPTO’s wording describing the method. Would the method be protected by the American Inventors Protection Act (AIPA).

I am the inventor of U.S. Patent No. 6,340,179B2 issued Jan.22, 2002 and No. 7,007,079 issued March 7,2006 Advertising materials and method for cooperative promotions in Services class 35. Plus Ad-Tabs® registered TM on Sept. 10, 2002 FOR DISCOUNT COUPONS WITH BREAK OPEN WINDOWS WITH PROMOTIONAL PRIZES in Goods Class 16.

JustAnswer.com

Answer:

Patents and Trademarks are federal issues and those issues are therefore heard in federal (not state) court and governed by federal statutory and case law. A patent or trademark owner can rest assured that the federal courts will decide any patent or TM disputes according to federal law---which is consistent throughout all 50 states and U.S. territories. I hope that this helps.


Legal Opnion on Coupon and Sweepstakes Dispensing System

Click here to download a pdf letter from Walter W. Stern - Attorney at Law