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By J.D. Houvener
Patent Attorney and Founder

Hi, my name is JD Houvener, the founding partner here at Bold IP Law Firm. Welcome to our Bold Blog. This blog is all about holiday celebrations and some interesting patents for toys that perhaps some of you grew up with. This will be a fun article for you to read through.

Before we get to that, I want to do a brief introduction about the law firm in case this happens to be your first time viewing. We are an intellectual property boutique, and we handle patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secret law. We have attorneys and trademark attorneys who prioritize you and your business, not only putting technology packages together but also the business plan that should go along with it to help you reach the market potential.

I introduced a brief book that we put out just this year, available on our website at boldip.com. It’s called “Bold Ideas: The Inventor’s Guide to Patents.” I wrote the book, and it’s still available for free on our website. It contains the 40 or 50 answers to the top questions I have received over the years. Have a look and schedule your free consultation to get your book today.

Now, let’s get into this blog, so you can see here our Bold Celebrations and the iconic holiday toys protected by patents, including the all-too-familiar Nutcracker. We couldn’t find the original Nutcracker patent for the design, but at one point, Derrick Clemens, our patent attorney out of Chicago, Illinois, put together this fun blog article for you to read through on your own.

Some highlights include the multi-directional switch for gamers, going way back to the NES put out by Nintendo. The directional pad (D-pad) has been around for years, and Nintendo had the patent effect until 2005 when it expired, allowing competitors to use it.

The toy building brick, much like Legos, has some fun patents out there. Also, the Barbie doll and, yes, the Magic 8-ball, going back to the 1950s. Derrick dug up a few others that are pretty fun, such as the Furby from 1998 and the more recent Hatchimals.

It’s a fun article for you to check out at boldip.com. Go to the news tab under the Bold Blog. Feel free to share your comments and questions on social media as well. Take care, everybody, happy holidays, go big, go bold!

About the Author
J.D. Houvener is a Registered USPTO Patent Attorney who has a strong interest in helping entrepreneurs and businesses thrive. J.D. leverages his technical background in engineering and experience in the aerospace industry to provide businesses with a unique perspective on their patent needs. He works with clients who are serious about investing in their intellectual assets and provides counsel on how to capitalize their patents in the market. If you have any questions regarding this article or patents in general, consider contacting J.D. at https://boldip.com/contact/