Law & Business podcast

Law & Business Podcast Episode 53: A Plush Toy Client Begins with Consultants

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It is the seventh and penultimate episode of this special mini-series with the Nessa Group, in which the discussion is about a plush toy company that is a start-up. The toy company has been able to services from Verna Law and the Nessa Group in order to get started - a mixture of intellectual property and business know-how. There was even some highly creative market research done at Toy Fair. Anthony Verna: (00:01)Welcome to the seventh episode of our special mini-series with the NESSA Group. Jim Huerta, how's it going? Jim Huerta:It's going well. I think we're making great progress. Great conversation. I hope the audience will enjoy some of the points that we're making. Anthony Verna:I hope so too. Barry Kolevzon, how you feeling? Barry Kolevzon:Feeling better every time we get involved in this area. And actually, … Anthony Verna:You've got more… Barry Kolevzon:where I think that we've got a nice length of time to build relationships. Thank you. Anthony Verna:Thank you. Barry. Wil Jacques, patent connoisseur. How's it going? Wil Jacques:Another great day. Great to be here. Anthony Verna:Wonderful. Justin Tripodi, brand king. Justin Tripodi:I was wondering if I was going to get a title this time. How you doing, Anthony? Anthony Verna:Wonderful. Thank you. Scott Mautner, corporate attorney. Scott Mautner:I'm doing well. Thank you. And I am with Harrington, Ocko and Monk before you ask. Anthony Verna: (01:03)And I am managing partner at Verna Law. So let's talk about a little bit about the plush toy industry. Wil and I have lots of plush toy experience. Wil, you have written one patent or is it multiple patents… Wil Jacques:Multiple patents. Anthony Verna:For the plush toy you're currently holding? Nobody can see that you're holding it. So props don't do very well on audio, but, but you are holding the product. Wil Jacques:Well, the audience can hear him. Squeaky Voice:Hi. Anthony Verna: (01:48)Let's talk about the patent because it's been published. So it is public. So let's talk a little bit about the patent application that was made for this particular product. What makes it so unique? Wil Jacques:Ah, very interesting. And actually only one of the patents has been published, but, the plush toy industry, you know, has seen some innovation obviously over the last 80 years. But there's been very little has been done recently I think we would look to Jennifer Telfer’s pillow pets as an example of an innovation in the plush toy space. This particular toy actually tells a story, you know, around let's say a fairy tale figure that kids are familiar with, but it provides that story by putting some elements or features as we patent folks like to call it into the plush toy. Anthony Verna: (02:44)Okay. So, so yeah, just tell us a little bit about what the patent discloses. Wil Jacques:Okay. So essentially what the patent discloses is that this little bear allows you to take an object, let's say it's a tooth for instance, you're able to put this thing into the mouth of this little bear and it drops down into a little chamber, let's call it a heart section. And then the child is able to kind of, as we would like to say, it's a teaching toy - share and care. So they're sharing and carrying their fallen tooth into this little toy. Anthony Verna:And there are some people who might have a problem wrapping their head around it, but a lot of people do have their baby teeth saved. And so this is a container that can do that as well as be a toy. Wil Jacques:As well as be a toy, as well as allow the parents or the child or the user to be able to access and take that tooth or that object out of the toy later on, which is something that generally is not seen in a plush toy. Anthony Verna: (03:50)I mean it's a plush toy. It's a patent. I have to admit that combination is rare. To me that sounds like a unique selling proposition. Wil Jacques:Yes, it is.

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