Reading Law

I've been preparing for the U.S. Patent Agent exam in a desultory sort of a way. However, since the exam is only offered in the U.S., and I don't want to travel by plane any time soon, I put that on hold for the nonce and switched my focus to the Israeli Patent Agent exam.

One of the first interesting things I learned is that I understand the language of Hebrew patent law more readily that the language of English patent law. The English legal jargon just feels foreign to me, while the Hebrew legal jargon just sounds like halacha.

For example, the official manual of American patent examination says things like:

As an initial matter, Office personnel should note that the introductory phrase “[a] person shall be entitled to a patent unless” remains unchanged from the pre-AIA version of 35 U.S.C. 102. Thus, 35 U.S.C. 102 continues to provide that the Office bears the initial burden of explaining why the applicable statutory or regulatory requirements have not been met if a claim in an application is to be rejected. 

Section 4 of the preamble to the Israeli law begins:

אמצאה חדשה - מהי 

אמצאה, נחשבת לחדשה, אם לא נתפרסמה בפומבי, בין בישראל ובין מחוצה לה, לפני תאריך הבקשה...

A new invention: what is it?

An invention is considered new if it has not been become known in public, whether in Israel our whether outside of it, before the application date...

Until I wrote this post, I was at a loss. Do I just need to slow down a little in English? Should I try mentally translating into Hebrew? 

As I'm writing this post, I realize that if I slow down my typical English reading speed considerably and resist the urge to follow references, the American manual does indeed make much more sense. I've also realized that for the Israeli exam, I've been studying the text of the Hebrew law, while for the American exam, I've been trying to read the manual discussing the law. 

Phrases, Ancient Phrases

Remember how happy I was that in Heberew, a Mexican standoff is a תיקו מקסיקני?

Well, in modern Hebrew (or at least, in modern legal Hebrew), a typgraphical error is a טעות סופר.

Counting

The other day, I needed FF to stop bothering me in the car, so I asked him to please count to 17 for me. FF was definitely interested, "But," he said, "I will need help: I can't say all of the numbers." With a smile, I told FF that I would say 13 for him and make myself available for additional help as needed. He then counted to 17 masterfully, pausing after 12 so I could say 13. (I really need to just teach him to say 13. He has no compunction about counting "firty-eight, firty-nine, forty, forty-one.") 

Wanting to keep FF distracted, I asked if he'd like to count in Hebrew. "Sure!" he answered cheerfully. He got as far as shtayim before stipulating, "Actually, I count b'ivrrrrrrit," and got to 10 with no problem. Turns out no one has yet taught him to count beyond 10 in Hebrew, but he enjoyed repeating 11 - 17 after me. 

When we finished, FF requested, "the other Hebrew, from ABC mouse," which we figured out meant Spanish.

Counting is fun. 

Timing

Tonight, while we were waiting for FF to finish up and come to bed, I asked BSM if he wanted to cuddle. He did, so I sat in his bed, and he laid his head in my lap. Almost immediately, though, he said, "Do you want to hold me like a baby and sing I'm in Love with You Honey, like you used to do after my bath? We didn't do that in a loooong time." So we did, and it was very sweet for me to start Grandpa's yahrtzeit by singing his song to one of his great-grandsons that is named for him.

https://youtu.be/3uhHfccLMqk?t=16