Patent attorney and trademark lawyer, Andrew P. Lahser, near Scottsdale, Arizona. » invention contests

Be “America’s Top Young Scientist”

Andrew P. Lahser, Scottsdale Patent Attorney — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:09:24 +0000

Make a video about science, your science, to enter this contest. Communicate your understanding of a scientific concept on video and enter the video to win. Video will be judged on

Creativity (20%)
Content meets stated contest criteria (30%)
Persuasiveness (10%)
Classroom suitability (10%)
Overall Presentation (30%)

The Science Channel and 3M want 5th to 8th graders to make videos of their science or innovation. Through the years, more than 600,000 kids have participated. The winners have gone on to speak in front of members of Congress, work with the nation’s top scientists, and pursue academic careers in the sciences.

The Science Channel and 3M want to “encourage the exploration of science and innovation among America’s youth and to promote the importance of science communication.”

Let us know if your kids enter the science contest.

Your kid can doodle his “Wish for the World”.

Andrew Lahser, Patent Attorney — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:58:46 +0000

Google wants your kid to doodle a logo to show what your kid wishes for the world. There are 445 prizes. Regional winners and above get to travel to New York. Hopefully, we will see some of the winners actually posted on the Google homepage.

For more information or to register your school for the contest, visit the Google homepage today.

Kid, you got a killer video game you want to share?

Andrew P. Lahser, Scottsdale Patent Attorney — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:57:37 +0000

Trade your video game idea for a chance to win $10,000 or a chance to have Electronic Arts (EA) build your game! As cool as this contest sounds, great care should be taken before entering any contest with an idea, artwork, manuscript, poem or other intellectual property. Why? Most contest rules will claim ownership or broad license of anything submitted to the contest. In other words, your only payment for use of the idea is the chance to with the prize.

So, if you have a killer video game idea, be sure to read the rules of the contest. These rules are more complex than most. There are four documents:

If you keep reading through to the “Submitted Materials” you will see that you grant BKFK a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free and fully sub-licensable license to use, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, publicly perform and publicly display such materials (in whole or in part) and to incorporate such materials into other works in any format or medium now known or later developed.

This is not unusual, most contests either claim ownership or provide for broad licensing rights. So if you think up a killer video game, think twice before you submit it to a contest. Or, at least, carefully read the rules so you can know what to expect. Good luck with your video game idea for kids 13 to 19.