Robert Kost

Attorney Robert Kost works for Start-ups and Small Businesses in a wide variety of areas (see website for comprehensive list).

Robert has decades of experience in corporate law and practice on both sides of the attorney-client relationship. He is adept in a broad range of law related to businesses, contracts, corporate formation, policy and intellectual property.

“My goal is to provide the kind of ongoing advice that will keep your business out of lawsuits and out of the courts.” - Robert Kost

University of New Hampshire School of Law

J.D. (1984)

1981 - 1984

Bowling Green State University

M.A. (1982) | Philosophy

1979 - 1982

Honors: Honors

Kalamazoo College

B.A. (1978) | Philosophy

1974 - 1978

Honors: Thesis Honors

Activities: Swimming and Diving

General Counsel

US Interactive

1995 - 2001

Assistant General Counsel

Prodigy Services Company (IBM)

1987 - 1995

Legal Analyst

US Congress

1984 - 1986

Office of Technology Assessment. Intellectual Property Law and Technology.

Clerk

Federal District Court

1981 - 1983

Using Open Source Software in Your Business

July, 2021

Should Your Business Apply for a Trademark?

June, 2021

When Should Your Business Register a Copyright?

April, 2021

Intellectual Property Rights in an Age of Electronics and Information

Office of Technology Assessment - US Congress

January, 1988

Science, Technology and the First Amendment

Office of Technology Assessment - US Congress

January, 1988

Blockchain in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

October 2019

see: https://youtu.be/SEyAuApZbnU

Intellectual Property Rights, Washington, DC

March 1988

Library of Congress

Digital Transformation, Pittsburgh

February 2019

Center for Digital Transformation

Systematic business transformation

Certified Business Architect

The Business Architecture Guild

2017

State Bar of Pennsylvania  # 327969

Member

Current

Allegheny County Bar Association Technology Committee

Member

Current

Maryland

Maryland Court of Appeals

1985-1994

Pennsylvania

Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

ID Number: 327969

Since 2019

• Free Consultation
• Credit Cards Accepted
  Fees are fixed price for both retainer and discrete services

Business Law

Business Contracts, Business Dissolution, Business Finance, Business Formation, Franchising, Mergers & Acquisitions, Partnership & Shareholder Disputes

Intellectual Property

Employment Law

Employment Contracts

Q. Can I still use the name My Wonderpaw if there is a trademark on Wonderpaw in the same industry?

14 January 2022

A: In theory, the answer is simple: no, you can't use the mark. However, there are other considerations. Let's assume you're referring to the mark at https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:hzp18o.2.2 * Are your goods/services in the same class as the registrant's? In this case, that is: "IC 024. US 042 050. G & S: Bed covers; Pet blankets." Look carefully at the international and US classes (IC 24 and US 42, 50) to determine whether your product could be broadly construed to fall in those classes. * The mark seems to apply only to the stylized form of "Wonderpaw," but digging deeper into the application, one finds that the literal word itself is also covered. * The mark is in the Supplemental Register, meaning that the registrant would have to prove validity were there a legal challenge to your use. Despite all of this, you may want to consider finding a different word for your product. Hope this helps.

Q. I want to recreate old jewelry (1800s) with slight mods to brand and sell. Would this be a copyright violation?

14 January 2022

A: Jewelry is copyrightable, but from your description its copyright has long since expired. See: https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/publicdomain

Q. Can I patent a geometrical theorum?

3 January 2022

A: Absent some specific, embodied, useful application of the theorem to the solution of a problem, no.