A few items of interest that have passed by my radar screen in the last week or so.

1.  IHOP v. IHOP.

International House of Pancakes announced that it is suing a different IHOP, the International House of Prayer, claiming the church is taking advantage of the company’s famous trademark.  According to the law suit, IHOP (the restaurant) is concerned that IHOP (the church) would dilute its trademark.  The amended complaint is available here.

2.  Looks like the US Patent and Trademark Office is starting to hire new examiners again.  This is good news for inventors frustrated with the long wait times because of the lack of available examiners.

3.  Want a free textbook on the subject of intellectual property law?  Well, as strange as it may seem, Prof.Tom Field, a leading expert on the subject, is giving away a PDF version of his 470-page textbook, Fundamentals of Intellectual Property, fo FREE!