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Now More Than Ever, IP Practitioners Need to Be Better Business Partners
If you’ve worked in-house, you’ve probably been told at some point to “do more with less.” Initially a response to the Great Recession, business scrutiny …
Volpe Koenig is Seeking an IP Attorney in Telecommunications
Volpe Koenig is seeking an Intellectual Property Attorney experienced in telecommunications. This full-time, permanent position is located in Philadelphia, PA, however, the option of working remotely is …
Vidal Agrees Eligibility Needs More Clarity in Senate Judiciary Committee Questioning of Two IP Nominees
Today, the full Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to question two key IP nominees: Judge Leonard Stark of the of the United States District Court for …
Patent Filings Roundup: Board Reverses Own Fintiv Denial; Joao Entity’s Bad Bet; NPE Adopts Anticounterfeiting Tactics
With the Thanksgiving holiday, Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) (18) filings were down, but district court patent filings held steady at 62, with (again) an astounding number of …
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Live, Work and Play in a Legal Metaverse: Preparing for a New Online Existence
Companies spend billions and invest heavily in technologies that offer greater telepresence and enable an individual’s digital life. Will humans interact with each other via avatars …
Frost Brown Todd is Seeking a Patent Prosecution Associate
Frost Brown Todd is seeking a Patent Prosecution Associate Attorney with 2-4 years of experience in patent prosecution for the Cincinnati, OH, Dallas, TX, or Indianapolis, IN …
Harrity & Harrity is Seeking a Remote Patent Prosecution Attorney/Agent
Harrity & Harrity is looking for superstar patent professionals to draft and/or prosecute patent applications for leading global technology companies, including numerous Patent 300® companies. This full-time, permanent …
O’Malley Dissents from ‘Concerning’ CAFC Ruling that Biogen’s MS Drug Patent is Invalid
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) earlier today affirmed a district court ruling that Biogen International’s patent for a method of …
Could Description Amendments Made During Prosecution at the European Patent Office Affect U.S. Litigation?
Earlier this year, the European Patent Office (EPO) updated some of its Guidelines for Examination in a way that potentially could affect U.S. patent litigation. These …
The DOCX Transition: The USPTO Explains Why It’s Delaying the Fee for Non-DOCX Filings
On Friday, November 19, the USPTO announced that it will be delaying the $400 fee for patent applications filed in non-DOCX formats until January 1, 2023. Previously, the fee was set …
WIPO is Seeking a Senior Director of the PCT Services Department
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is seeking to hire a Senior Director. The post is located in the PCT Services Department of the Patents and Technology …
Vidal Confirmation Hearing Should Provide a Hint at What’s Ahead for Patent Owners
IPWatchdog has been told that Kathi Vidal, who is President Biden’s nominee for Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States …
This Week in Washington IP: Ensuring U.S. Leadership in Microelectronics, Amending Section 230 Immunity for Big Tech, and the Decadal Survey for Astronomy and Astrophysics
This week in Washington IP news, committee hearings in the House of Representatives will focus on ways to ensure that America retains global leadership in microelectronics, proposed …
Rethinking Innovation with Michel, Iancu, and Watts
In early November, the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) School of Law held its 65th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference. The program consisted of five plenary sessions …
IP Goes Pop! Season 2 Episode #3: Taking Back the Music
This week on IP Goes Pop! fellow Volpe Koenig Shareholder Robert Leonard joins Michael Snyder to talk about artists’ rights and attempts by musicians to regain rights …
Can You Refile a Provisional Patent Application?
The question that we receive most frequently from inventors, usually independent inventors, relates to whether a provisional patent application can be refiled with the United States Patent …
The 10 Most Active Patent Prosecution Attorneys of 2021
Earlier this year, we published our findings on some of the best performing patent firms of 2021. Now, we have evaluated this data at the attorney level, meaning …
Patent Filings Roundup: Light Week Leading up to the Holidays Sees Record District Court Terminations
Happy Holidays! Thanksgiving has come and gone. A light week last week headed into the holidays saw 20 Patent Trial and Appeal Board filings (two more against MemoryWeb, …
Thank You! From Trademark Amendments to Mentors, IP Stakeholders Get Grateful
It’s been another challenging year. At the end of 2020, we were all hopeful that 2021 would bring with it a chance to get back to normal, but …
Kathi Vidal Floated as Possible USPTO Director Nominee
According to sources on the Hill, Kathi Vidal of Winston & Strawn is now high on the list of potential nominees for a new U.S. Patent and …
USPTO Moves Ahead with Changes to Patent Bar Registration
Following a Request for Comments in March 2021, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) yesterday published a Federal Register Notice updating the General Requirements Bulletin (GRB) …
Looming Leahy Bill Would End Fintiv Practice at PTAB
IPWatchdog has obtained a draft summary of the “Restoring the America Invents Act” bill that Senate IP Subcommittee Chair, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), is purportedly expected to …
VIASAT is Seeking a Patent Agent for its Office in Carlsbad, CA
We are looking for passionate, innovative professionals to join our team and connect the world to more. You will work in a collaborative and inclusive environment that …
Celebrating (?) the America Invents Act: Ten Years On, Many IP Stakeholders Say it’s Time for a Second Look
During IPWatchdog LIVE 2021 in Dallas, Texas, I asked a handful of willing attendees for their thoughts on the impact of the America Invents Act (AIA) in anticipation …
CAFC: TTAB Never Had a Pre-Arthrex Appointments Clause Issue
On September 1, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB’s) cancellation of a trademark …
The Federal Circuit’s Obsession with Judge Albright is Becoming Increasingly Bizarre
While there are any number of reasons to question the continued viability, value and necessity of the Federal Circuit, the court’s continued use of mandamus is …
Roblox is Latest Online Platform to Settle NMPA Copyright Claims with Collaborative Music Licensing Agreement
On September 27, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and online game platform provider Roblox announced that the two parties had settled ongoing copyright litigation in the Central …
U.S. Embassy Failures, COVID-19 Travel Restrictions, Keep Attorney Working on COVID-19 Technology Out of United States
Surely there can be no greater national interest to the United States than to allow each and every single person working to solve the COVID-19 pandemic to …
Kathi Vidal Has Been Nominated to Head USPTO
As predicted by IPWatchdog, Kathi Vidal has now been officially nominated by President Joe Biden as the next Under Secretary for Intellectual Property and Director of the …
Complex IP Challenges in Autonomous Vehicles
On August 16, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that it had opened a probe into Tesla’s driver-assistance technologies after it identified 11 crashes since 2018 in …
IPWatchdog LIVE Panel Examines Google v. Oracle: SCOTUS Punted on Copyrightability
Yesterday at IPWatchdog LIVE, a morning panel discussed “The Impact of Google v. Oracle on Fair Use.” That decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, issued this …
Senators Tear into Facebook and Google Reps During ‘Big Data, Big Questions’ Hearing on Competition and Privacy
The Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights held a hearing yesterday titled “Big Data, Big Questions: Implications for Competition and Consumers,” …
Epic Sports Petitions Fifth Circuit for Rehearing En Banc in Texas A&M ‘12th Man’ Copyright/ Takings Clause Case
On September 22, publishing company Canada Hockey L.L.C., doing business as Epic Sports, and Michael Bynum, a sportswriter and editor, filed a petition for rehearing en …
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott is Seeking a Patent Agent or Patent Attorney
Eckert Seamans seeks a licensed patent agent or attorney to join their growing intellectual property team. This is a full-time, permanent position in Pittsburgh, …
Registering your website with the Chinese government?
Doing business in China is exciting and potentially lucrative; however, there are “hidden” traps. Most of these hidden traps have been extensively discussed in the Western world – …
Looking Forward: Predictions and Thoughts for 2019
Given that several industry insiders were willing to make their own predictions, I’ll go out on a limb and make my own predictions… First, I predict …
What happens when lifestyle drugs like Viagra and Cialis lose patent protections?
Each year, millions of men rely on pharmaceuticals like Viagra and Cialis for their erectile dysfunction (ED), but they may not be the only ones facing dysfunctionalities. …
The Myth of the 18-Month Delay in Publishing Patent Applications
Starting in November 2000, the USPTO started publishing patent applications 18 months after their earliest filing date. So the simple assumption is that you file a patent and 18 months …
Top Patent Law Firms for 2017
We compiled a list of the top patent firms that are ranked based on the total number of U.S. utility patents that issued in 2017 where the …
Reflections on Taking the Patent Bar Exam
If you are reading this article beyond the title, you are either preparing to take the USPTO’s patent bar exam or you are considering whether you …
Alternate Approaches to the Valuation of Intellectual Property
Techniques for valuing intellectual property continue to develop, especially as access to information becomes easier and more efficient. The practice of valuing intellectual property has only been …
Federal Circuit Affirms TTAB Refusal to Register ‘CHURRASCOS’
In a May 13, 2016 decision, the Federal Circuit affirmed a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) decision upholding an Examiner’s denial of registration based on a finding …
Top Patent Firms for 2016
A list of the top patent firms that are ranked based on the total number of U.S. utility patents that issued in 2016 where the patent firms …
Bioinformatics Innovations Thrive Despite 101 Chaos
Bioinformatics is a growing interdisciplinary technological field in which computing and software resources are applied to biological data and solve biological problems. For example, bioinformatics can be …
Design Patent Infringement: How to decide if you should sue
First, look at the merits of the infringement claim. They may be stronger than you think, and you can thank a 2008 ruling for that. That year, the …
Beat the Odds: How to Get Your Invention Licensed
Many inventors believe the way to get a company interested in their inventions is to write a letter – and then hope they receive an invitation to begin …
Comic-Con Considerations: Cosplay, the Right of Publicity, and Copyright Concerns
For as much as Comic-Con is about comics, TV, and upcoming movies, it’s not hard to see that a large portion of its allure for fans …
Does University Patent Licensing Pay Off?
Patent licensing or creating new companies is not a get rich quick path for schools despite the occasional blockbuster invention or Google spin-out. Indeed, enriching universities is …
These Are the 20 Hardest and Easiest Art Units
Art Unit 3689 has the lowest allowance rate at 7.7%. Art Unit 3659 has the highest at 98.3%. Oddly enough, these two art units are from the same technology center. It’…
Three Inventions That Made My Summers Fun
As we enter the August heat, it’s worth remembering some of the patents that have made summers more bearable through the years, for kids and adults …
The Cost of Obtaining a Patent in the US
Estimating US patent costs is a difficult matter because so much depends on the technology involved, but answering "it depends" is not particularly insightful or helpful. What …
Patent Searching 101: A Patent Search Tutorial
Inventors and entrepreneurs who are looking to cut costs frequently want to do their own patent search. This is a wise first move, but inventors need to …
Protecting Ideas: Can Ideas Be Protected or Patented?
Unfortunately, despite what you may have heard from late night television, satellite radio commercials or snake oil salesmen, there is no effective way to protect an idea… …
The Top 5 Mistakes Inventors make with their Invention
Generally speaking the first step toward commercializing an invention and making money is typically to pursue the patent path. For those new to the industry it is …
Patent Claim Drafting 101: The Basics
When writing a claim it is important to describe how the various components are structured and how the various components interact and connect. First, include a claim …
The Law of Recipes: Are Recipes Patentable?
In most cases the typical recipe for a "killer Margarita" or "the best barbeque sauce ever" will not be patentable, but the only way to know for …
Protecting an Idea: Can Ideas Be Patented or Protected?
Many people ask: can ideas be patented? The short answer is no. Unfortunately, despite what you may have heard from late night television commercials, there is no …
Moving from Idea to Patent – When Do You Have an Invention?
In order to protect an idea it must mature into an invention first. This means that you need to be able to explain to others how to …
Provisional Patents: What are they and why do you need them?
The first thing to say is this: there is no such thing as a provisional patent. You can, however, file what is known as a provisional patent …
Tricks & Tips to Describe an Invention in a Patent Application
One excellent way to make sure you are including an appropriately detailed description that treats a variety of variations and alternatives is to have many professional patent …
Getting Your Invention to Market: Licensing vs. Manufacturing
Of course, whether you are going to pursue licensing or manufacturing, for the first lesson is to realize that there are no tricks to invention marketing. It …
Patent Drawings and Invention Illustrations, What do you Need?
If you are going to file a patent application you must have drawings to include in the application, but patent drawings are not the only type of "…
Invention to Patent 101 – Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
This page and website contain contain detailed information to help inventors on the road from invention to patent... Below are a sampling of inventor help links to …
Patent Drawings 101: The Way to Better Patent Applications
To properly accomplish the goal of having the best disclosure possible you should also not think in terms of a single patent drawing or illustration, but rather …
