There has been a string of high profile intellectual property lawsuits recently. What is the cause of all of this? At the heart of all these issues is the non-obvious requirement of patents.

What does non-obvious mean? Non-obviousness means that the invention is not an obvious solution to a certain problem for a professional in the field pertaining to the invention with an average level of skill. This usually takes into account "prior art" to determine what is considered common knowledge in a field. How U.S. courts are interpreting prior art has been shifting, creating many problems for businesses and inventors.

Until recently, an invention wasn't considered obvious unless there was an explicit reference to the concept in speeches, the internet, textbooks, magazines or any other public source. This allowed many inventions to make it past the obvious requirement.

The recent shift has instead included combinations of previous ideas as being obvious in many cases. This has been a big problem, especially in the pharmaceutical industry where most medicines are just new combinations of previously discovered compounds. While we could discuss all the potential dangers and market effects that this new test for obviousness has, I think we would better spend our time discussing how to protect yourself above and beyond your patent, in a way that even if you loose a patent lawsuit you will still hold your market share.

Christine Ingemi is a mom of four who got tired of hearing her kids blast their mp3 players. But what could she do? Telling them to turn it down maybe worked when she was around, but as soon as she was out of sight, what would stop them from turning it up again? Something had to be done.

When you are getting started it's so hard to understand the integral role packaging has to play in marketing and selling your product. Put simply, it's one of the most important product decisions you will have to make. There is a universe of packaging suppliers, materials and even regulations. Not to be overwhelmed, it is easy to navigate if you take it one step at a time. It is a process just like any other component in product development. They key is to know which packaging factors will influence your product?s success -- or failure.

You have done much research on your invention, and have decided not to go the licensing route. You want to manufacture on your own, and have heard nowadays, that China is the location to look into. It is highly recommended that you seek assistance from an international trade consultant, or an inventor who has imported in the past - and even better - who might provide a referral of a prospective China factory for you to contact. However, before you begin the sourcing process, below are ten important issues to consider:

Do you sell products online? If so, think about adding your product to Google's product listings. Thousands, if not millions of people will use Froogle this Christmas for at least part of their shopping so don't miss out on this opportunity.

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Don's new book is called Business Models Made Easy and if you are trying to create any kind of business, this book will help you create a business model that can be successful and long lasting.

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