Happy 20 Years, IPWatchdog! Celebrating Two Decades of Unmatched IP Insight

“I always tell younger attorneys, don’t be afraid to be yourself. Clients know when you’re not yourself. They won’t know exactly why they don’t trust you, but nine times out of 10, it’s because you’re wearing a mask.” – Gene Quinn

https://depositphotos.com/72790263/stock-photo-happy-birthday-dog.htmlToday marks 20 years since the date of IPWatchdog.com’s launch. Happy Birthday to Us! As IPWatchdog Founder and CEO Gene Quinn recalled at the 10-year mark, in 1999 he was living in Orlando, Florida, and planning to embark on a career as a full-time law professor. But things didn’t quite turn out that way.

Quinn first purchased the IPWatchdog URL in 1998 with the intention of providing a service to evaluate stocks based on IP portfolios. But when his partners in that plan slowly began leaving the dream behind for law firm jobs, Quinn decided to create a platform of his own, mainly summarizing “literally every IP case in America” in one paragraph each week. “The target audience was potential clients and IP attorneys,” Quinn recently told Eli Mazour for the Clause 8 podcast. “I had more of a belief than a plan that what I was doing was going to be worthwhile,” he said. “Even if I didn’t figure out how to turn it into a business, I knew it would be beneficial because more people would know who I was.”

Gene, circa 2000

Quinn recalled for Mazour some of his earliest days as an IP pundit, and explained how he has managed to distinguish his voice from other IP blogs throughout the years. Right from the start, he made the choice to take a position on the matters he was recapping—a lesson he learned at one of his earliest jobs as a general civil litigator. “One of the partners I worked for was the chair of the Democratic party in New Hampshire and ran for Congress a few times,” Quinn said. “Another partner was in leadership in the state house and a Republican.” Quinn saw that the two partners were often hired by people in their individual parties. “They used it as a business development tool,” he said. This shaped his approach to business and gave him the confidence to take a stance. “I always tell younger attorneys, don’t be afraid to be yourself. Clients know when you’re not yourself. They won’t know exactly why they don’t trust you, but nine times out of 10, it’s because you’re wearing a mask.”

Gene and Renee Quinn at the 2018 IPO Education Foundation Awards Dinner

Twenty years later, that philosophy has consistently served Quinn well. And once he teamed up with his wife, Renée Quinn, his vision became a full-fledged business. Quinn met Renée in 2002 and she soon became an integral part of the plan to take over the world of IP news. “She’s the glue that holds the office together,” Quinn told Mazour. Renée now serves as IPWatchdog’s Chief Operating Officer and, in a nutshell, “she runs the show,” says Gene. Thanks to the couple’s teamwork, today IPWatchdog has an average monthly readership of about 300,000 unique users and is consistently ranked number one in Google Search results for IP news. In 2009, the blog had between 650,000 and 700,000 unique visitors per year; today, we are on track to draw 3 million unique visitors by the end of 2019.

Tonight, IPWatchdog will celebrate its 20th anniversary in style with the many close friends, colleagues and readers Gene and Renée have met over the years. Below, we share some of their thoughts on what IPWatchdog, and Gene and Renée, have meant to them and to the IP community over these past two decades.

IPWatchdog received many more letters and comments than those published below, which have been printed and and presented to Gene for posterity. If you would like to add yours, please email editors@ipwatchdog.com.

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Alden AbbottAlden Abbott
General Counsel, Federal Trade Commission

Until very recently, IP law – and, in particular, patent law – has been commonly portrayed as the province of narrow specialists (aka tech geeks), involving arcane arguments about highly technical issues. But in the new high-tech economy, IP accounts for a huge (and increasing) portion of value generated and is a key to economic growth. Thus, the rules of the IP game have enormous consequences for American prosperity, and we cannot afford to ignore them.

In this new environment, Gene Quinn, through IP Watchdog, has stepped up as the leading legal policy entrepreneur dedicated to shining a spotlight on the importance of changes in patent law for the future of innovation and the U.S. economy. IP Watchdog is the place to go for a blend of high policy patent law commentaries along with more specialized patent law articles – and, recently, for high quality conferences featuring leading participants in patent law debates. For the most thoughtful analysis of patent law policy, IP Watchdog is the place to go. Long may it thrive!

Joseph Allen
Allen & Associates, Former Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to the late Senator Birch Bayh (D-IN), and IPWatchdog Contributor

It’s important to remember what it was like before IPWatchdog appeared. There were publications which reported on the various issues and cases affecting the patent system, but unlike the critics, advocates for a strong, reliable patent system lacked a forum to make their case, other than writing the occasional op-ed. IPWatchdog filled that void.  It also says much about [Gene’s] character that throughout its existence, IPWatchdog has been willing to print articles from those on the other side of the issue. Unfortunately, in much of the media, even pretending to be fair is now a thing of the past.  We have all benefited from the tremendous effort both Gene and Renée put into nurturing IPWatchdog through its infancy. I’m sure there were many times when you wondered if it would succeed, but your faith in the importance of what you were doing pulled you through.

It’s been an honor to be a part of the IPWatchdog family. Congratulations on the first two decades of IPWatchdog. May there be many more.

Steven Brachmann
IPWatchdog Freelance Writer

Since I first started writing for IPWatchdog almost seven years ago, I’ve had a very interesting crash course in the world of intellectual property law during a time when the law in this sector has gone through some incredible changes. Being involved with IPWatchdog has allowed me to see the front lines of the battle between well-financed anti-patent interests and the inventors and small businesses who need strong patent rights to stay competitive. Gene Quinn has been an incredible mentor to me, working with me to help me understand the nuances of the patent reform debate and encouraging me to dive even further into patent decisions at the Federal Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court as well as intellectual property hearings on Capitol Hill. This blog serves an incredibly valuable purpose in not only presenting a multitude of viewpoints but also calling out hypocrisy and attacking poor ideas that don’t serve to advance the progress of science and innovation. There’s no doubt in my mind that working with Gene on IPWatchdog has changed the course of my life for the better as I find myself navigating the first year of law school en route to a career in the legal profession. I consider Gene to be a great teacher, friend and role model and I look forward to many more years of both IPWatchdog’s success and its palpable impact on the nation’s conversations on patent law and innovation policy.

Nancy Braman
Registered Patent Agent, IPWatchdog Contributor, and 2L at the University of New Hampshire, Franklin Pierce Law School

I met Gene at the June 2018 PLI Patent Bar Review Course in D.C. We got to chatting and I came to find out that he was an alum of my law school. He really did mean what he said during the PLI course, to keep in touch with him throughout our careers. He was very responsive to my questions and kept in contact throughout my first year of law school, and even gave me opportunities to contribute to the blog. Working now as an author for IPWatchdog has been a fantastic opportunity, one that most IP students could only dream about. With this position I have been able to keep up-to-date on current issues in intellectual property, gaining relevant work experience while in school. I am so grateful for the support that IPWatchdog has given to a law student such as myself, and I am even more blown away that IPWatchdog finds value in input from those at the very beginning of their careers. I will never forget this.

Bruce Buchanan
Communications & Media Manager, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Without a doubt, IP Watchdog is a go-to place for news and views concerning the practice of intellectual property law. As a communications manager for a large law firm, I appreciate the opportunity IP Watchdog presents to contribute attorney-written articles published to a wide readership within the industry. But I’m also a regular reader of IP Watchdog. It’s an invaluable source of thoughtful insights and timely news.

Congratulations to Gene, Renée and the entire IPWatchdog team on 20 great years!  And feel free to share this!  I’m happy to tell anyone who will listen that I think Gene, Renée & IPWatchdog are great!

James Carmichael

James Carmichael
Carmichael IP

Dear Gene: Congratulations on 20 years of excellence! Seeing you build up IP Watchdog from a passion project to the world’s #1 influencer and news source for intellectual property has been an inspiration.  Your success shows that creativity, risk-taking, faith, integrity, hard work, and intelligence can lead to great things. You have all those in abundance.

And you’re not just resting on your laurels. Your expansion from the web to in-person events shows you are not done yet. The best is yet to come. This is exciting for me to watch. Happy to have a front row seat!

Theodore Chiacchio
Founder, Chiacchio IP

I cannot tell you how many times I have needed to bring myself up to speed, efficiently, in a new crevasse of IP law and relied upon IPWatchdog to do so…. IPWatchdog doubles as a platform for expert analysis and debate from practitioners and others with years of experience, as well as a platform for educating the newly initiated on fundamentals of IP law. Similarly, it is very impressive how very experienced practitioners as well as lay people with no IP law background are both able to read and learn from many (dare I say most!) articles on IPWatchdog.

Reid Creager
Editor-in-chief, Inventors Digest

Gene’s voice and his enabling of similar pro-patent voices has created a more positive environment for inventors, been a source of important education — and attracted the attention of people who are in a position to effect real and lasting change.  In what is sometimes a distracted and disjointed world, it’s a comfort to feel like you’re on the same team as someone who has integrity and impact. I’m proud to have Gene Quinn as my teammate and will go to bat for him at every opportunity.

I hope IPWatchdog has another 20 productive years, and that somehow I will be associated with it. I would be honored and grateful.

Arthur Daemmrich
Director, Smithsonian Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation

Only in recent years has scholarship in the history of invention begun to give serious attention to the importance of the patent system. Historians are discovering what IP lawyers have long known, namely that invention involves making and defending specific and bounded claims about novelty and uses. A new generation of historians is now learning the importance of understanding patent law and the importance of changes to how IP is secured and protected in recent decades. Gene Quinn should be thanked for what he is doing for inventors and for America as an innovation-based economy, but we thank him also for creating IP Watchdog as a forum where broad perspective rules the day and relative outsiders can learn from and engage with experts.

Autrige Dennis
Founder and President, ASCADEX Patent Illustrating Services, LLC

The IPWatchdog.com blog has revolutionized the IP Law Blog category around the world. Gene and the website should be credited with making inventing and patent law a household topic that all can now understand. In my opinion, the website inspires many of the invention reality TV shows we see today.

If it was not for Renée, I would not have known Gene or IPWatchdog.com. With such great marketing vision and social media skill, Renée is the business partner/wife/friend that all business founders would want. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, unless you are Gene Quinn. Thank you, Renée, Gene and the entire IPWatchdog.com family.

Todd DickinsonTodd Dickinson
Senior Partner, Polsinelli, Former USPTO Director

As pioneer bloggers in the IP space, Gene and Renée have had their finger on the pulse of the IP community, its policies, personnel and peccadilloes, now for 20 years. This amazing run speaks volumes about their insider’s knowledge, superb contacts, and most importantly, their credibility and integrity. IP Watchdog’s well-deserved reputation as a thought-leader among IP stakeholders also helps mold opinions in our world as much as report on them. I am proud to note that IPWatchdog was founded the same year as I was sworn in as USPTO Director and I have been a big fan ever since. Congratulations, Gene and Renée!

The Honorable Theodore R Essex
Senior Counsel, Hogan Lovells, Former Judge, U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC)

I am gratified to see [that IPWatchdog] is around, and that it is helping guide us in the IP world. I appreciate the many views you allow to air, in the hope that if we think, and exchange ideas, we may find a way forward. I think IP Watchdog is instrumental in helping this important work get done.

As time has passed, I have not only benefited from the publication, and grown to trust you and appear with you on panels and presentations, but I feel that we have become friends, and I value that very much. It is a great pleasure to be able to work with someone whose opinion you value, and whose company you enjoy. Some may overlook such simple pleasures, but I do not, and I note by the folks that are honoring you on this anniversary that I am not alone.

I wish you continued success, and many more years. If I can continue as a part of it, I will consider myself fortunate indeed.

Louis ForemanLouis Foreman
CEO, Enventys

Gene, Happy 20th!!  It’s tough to start a business, and even tougher to keep a business relevant for 20 years. You have provided a great resource for the Intellectual Property Community and I hope that the next 20 years are even better. Thank you for being a leader in the community and an advocate for strong IP rights.


Neil Greer
CEO & Co-Founder, Impact Engine, Inc.

As a 20-something year-old young inventor and entrepreneur in the late 1990s and early 2000s, your publication came to be when I had raised my first round of outside capital and my first technology venture was expanding fast. I really enjoyed Gene’s upfront style of reporting and his penchant to speak his mind. There were certainly IP law battles to be fought those days. Only a few people in IP were really pointing out, on aggregate, what each of the individual battles would mean to the state of U.S patent and IP law in general if stacked together in the wrong way. IPWatchdog saw the trend and warned. Then there was eBay.

I felt then, as I do today, Gene cared. He, to me and many, is as much a member of the technology industry as he is an attorney and journalist. As the America Invents Act approached, passed into law and was implemented, your reporting stood apart but on a bigger stage; having the courage to, ‘call it like it is’ and fight for inventors and the stability of the ecosystem. Thank you. I am convinced your ability to bring visibility to the activities of the Congress, USPTO Director and Patent Office and the behind the curtain activities of many is what halted and mitigated, the IP death spiral of those days. I am hopeful, based on our collective efforts, that we can further move toward stability here in the U.S.

Phil Johnson, 21C

Philip Johnson
Founder/Principal, Johnson-IP Strategy & Policy Consulting

For many in the IP field, the name “IPWatchdog” properly connotes a publication that keeps its eye on what’s going on in the USPTO, the Courts and Congress when it comes to IP issues.  But for those in the know, it has a second meaning relating to the internal workings of the organization. The answer to “Who’s watching the Watchdog?” is principally, but not only, Renée Quinn. Renée and Gene lead a small but fabulous team. They both work very hard at what they do but check each other to “keep it real” and to ensure that what they do is firmly grounded. How else could they attract the talent who routinely write for them, including, but not limited to their new editor, Eileen McDermott? How else could they put together fabulous seminars, webinars and other events that attract the top names in the IP field? Gene and Renée stand as journalistic and educational role models. Their ethics are beyond reproach. Sources talk to them because they know and honor what terms like “background” and “off the record” mean, and because when you go “on the record” with IPWatchdog you know that what you say will be fully and fairly reported. In an era where slanted journalism is so popular, our hats are off to IPWatchdog for simply telling it like it is. May others take notice and do the same!

David Kappos
Partner, Cravath, Swaine & Moore; Former USPTO Director

I have followed IP Watchdog for many years, and from the beginning have viewed it as the most credible, fact-based, no-nonsense source for thoughtful, fair, critical commentary on all that is going on in our IP system. Gene has from time to time been critical of our government agencies touching on the IP system, but he has always been fair. He has also done two other things that I believe other sources for information about complex areas of the law, and touching on government agencies, mostly neglect to do. One is to take a position, rather than just reporting all sides of a story. When you know right from wrong, and you know that what is going on is clearly right (or clearly wrong), you need to step up and say it. Gene does that. Second, and relatedly, he is willing to make clear positive statements about achievements of agencies like the USPTO. While others wouldn’t dare admit the government can do anything right, Gene has been honest and clear about offering praise where earned. So, my thanks to IP Watchdog for 20 years of candid, honest work.

Stephen Key
Author, Magazine Contributor, Speaker and Co-Founder of inventRight

I cannot say enough about how Gene and Renée have contributed to the success of the inventing community. Their dedication and persistence are remarkable. I’m very proud to be part of his community and to call Gene and Renée good friends. Congratulations on 20 years!”

Madeleine Key
Managing Editor, Stephen Key Media

I am so inspired by the diligent and nonstop efforts of IPWatchdog to educate inventors and the public at large. Your thoughtful reporting and analysis are truly of value to our culture. Thank you for leading by example, with integrity. IPWatchdog.com is my go-to-resource for learning and writing about intellectual property and I have no doubt that will continue to be true.

Gene, I have treasured every opportunity to ask you questions. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!  Congratulations to you both on 20 years! Let’s toast to 20 more!”

Sherry Knowles
Principal, Knowles Intellectual Property Strategies

Gene: A milestone in our collaboration and friendship occurred exactly 12 years ago, on the 8th IPWatchdog anniversary, October 10, 2007! It was on this day that GlaxoSmithKline filed a verified complaint against the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, to challenge the “Final Rules on Claims and Continuations” which were to become effective on November 1, 2008. Not surprisingly, you issued a “Call to Action against the Patent Office” in your capacity as the Editor of the PLI Patent Blog, urging patent attorneys and companies to file amicus briefs and get involved. The patent bar and your blog support were a critical part of our success. And on October 8, 2009, near your 10th year anniversary of IPWatchdog.com, GSK and the U.S. Patent Office settled the lawsuit and all of the Final Rules were withdrawn. Well done! The hallmark of the IPWatchdog blog is intellectually deep and clear writing about important matters facing the U.S. legal framework for innovation. The country is blessed to have your passion to improve patent laws in the United States and to clearly point out when they are going in the wrong direction, and of course, when they also go right. Congratulations!

Stephen Kunin
Partner, Maier & Maier

I would like to congratulate Renée and Gene on IPWatchdog’s 20th anniversary. Their amazing leadership and vision have grown IPW from an organization dependent on Gene as an individual thought leader in the IP community into a force to be reckoned with on a global scale. They have brought together influential people in the community to take on major issues important to global leaders in the areas of challenges presented by judicial opinions, executive actions and legislative action. I thank them for including me among their Patent Masters faculty.

Daryl LimDaryl Lim
Professor of Law and Director, Center for Intellectual Property, Information and Privacy Law, UIC John Marshall Law School

Any blog that has survived 20 years deserves congratulations. IPWatchdog, however, is not just another blog. A winner of multiple awards, IPWatchdog reports on issues of contemporary importance to the IP community and has helped sharpen discourse around IP law and policy. The speed, incisiveness, and timeliness of IPWatchdog’s blog posts remains unsurpassed.

Jack Lu
Partner & Chief Economist, IPMAP, LLC; Sr. VP Economic Analysis & Survey, LES USA Canada

Dear Gene:
Congratulations on what you and IPWatchdog have accomplished over the past 20 years! You have been fighting for an efficient IP market, and without the efforts from you and IPWatchdog, the market condition could have been much more challenging. The market and all of us participants owe you a thank-you. Best wishes to you and your team at IPWatchdog!

Eileen McDermott

Eileen McDermott
Editor-in-Chief, IPWatchdog.com

Congratulations Gene and Renée on all of your many accomplishments over the years—you truly have become IP legends! As the many submissions we’ve received so far attest, IPWatchdog has become the go-to source for IP news and perspective, and that is thanks to your willingness to take a stance and to be vocal, Gene. You have recognized from the start that taking a position is sometimes more beneficial–for both yourself and for others–than playing it safe, even if it involves some risk. The IP community–even, perhaps, those who disagree with you–clearly value your candid approach to sensitive issues on which most IP attorneys refrain from comment.

Secondly, thank you so much for inviting me into your little IPWatchdog family. Before I came on board, I knew the IPW brand and blog, but I didn’t know the people behind it; all I can say is “Boy, did I luck out!” Gene, you manage to combine passion, expertise and commitment with humility, genuineness and affability, which goes a long way in the secret to your success. And Renée, you are a walking bundle of energy, personality, efficiency, and joy! I am so happy to be working with you both and look forward to many more anniversaries to come! 

Eli MazourEli Mazour
Counsel, Harrity; Creator, Clause 8 podcast

Over the last 20 years, IPWatchdog has provided much-needed visibility into America’s IP system and added a new level of public accountability for those involved in the IP policymaking process. At the same time, Gene has admirably opened up IPWatchdog to diverging views out of a belief that a vigorous debate will allow the best IP policy ideas to prosper in the long run. Wise policymakers, patent practitioners, in-house attorneys, and innovators follow IPWatchdog to have the insights necessary to make the best possible strategic decisions.

Judge Paul Michel
Retired Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

IPWatchdog has transformed patent news. No competitor can match it for breadth, depth or analytic frankness. First thing every morning, I tune my computer to Gene’s publication, always finding it useful and often thought-provoking. Whether one agrees with every claim by Gene is unimportant. At least he makes us think harder about important issues of patent law, policy and practice. To me, that is the highest calling of journalism, its ultimate value. And it is the reason that nearly all patent law leaders read it. No one should miss it.

Paul Morinville
Founder, US Inventor

Patent blogs tend to report narrowly on the legal minutiae of court decisions and legislation and how that might affect future IP decisions. While that is much needed information, it is incomplete, ignoring how IP law effects the market and therefore failing to inform how innovation policy is driven through IP law. Gene Quinn is unique among his peers because he understands how IP plays on the street. This differentiates IP Watchdog from the pack of IP bloggers and has made IPWatchdog the most read IP blog on Capitol Hill, going far beyond IP law minutia into the much broader and more important realm of how government policy effects the growth of the American innovation engine.

Adam Mossoff
Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

I remember when IPWatchdog was just Gene blogging about topics in patent law and policy. Now, I regularly hear staffers, policy-makers, lawyers, and many others reference an article they just read at the IPWatchdog webzine. It’s a testament to Gene’s insights, energy, and passion that he has built IPWatchdog into the IP law and policy powerhouse that it has become. He has certainly had an impact and created a legacy in the IP policy world. I’m honored to have published pieces at IPWatchdog over the years, and I look forward to continuing to read and publish at the website, as well as attend his growing cadre of conferences and events. I can’t wait to see what the next twenty years brings!

James Pooley

James Pooley

James Pooley
IP Litigator and Trade Secrets Expert, James Pooley, PLC

Like everyone else in the IP community, I am grateful for Gene and Renée’s perseverance and dedication to quality content, but with a real, and very practical, theme of care and protection for a system that has proved it works and that we continue to rely on for the health of our economy. With the creativity, intensity and funding resources of those who promote skepticism about IP, it has been critical for all of us that IP Watchdog has been there to provide the other perspective. In many ways that we will never be able to scientifically prove, IP Watchdog has lived up to its name and kept some bad (or worse) things from happening.

Chief Judge Randall Rader (CAFC, ret.) at the AIPLA annual meeting in 2014.Randall Rader
The Rader Group; Former Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Dear WATCHDOGs and especially GENE: With fondness I remember a time over a decade away now when Gene first came to me for an interview.  The interview was over and Gene had gone on to other pursuits when I turned to my law clerk and asked, “Who was that?  He really knew his IP!”  Of course, that was the last time I ever had to ask that question because GENE rose almost instantly to a revered place of commentary in our IP discipline.

With joy I have observed the WATCHDOG as it grew into a real watching dog with all the courage to bark at any intruder on proper international IP standards. And Gene has exhibited the courage to call out any intruder even when the intruder is really a person or institution that should be one of the guardians. Indeed in this modern era too often the guards are the greatest threat to the statutory treasures of the Patent Act and its underlying innovation policies. My respect for Gene and his watching dogs has grown as guardian after guardian has misapprehended the true calling of protecting IP in the modern technological world. It is never easy to be the one who sounds the alarm because too often the guardians like to persecute the messenger because his message is too painfully correct.

In sum, Gene, and your associated watch dogs, your mission is more important now than ever. Frankly, in today’s world I would not trade you for a half dozen judges or examiners or any of the other straying “guardians.”

Joseph R. Robinson
Partner, Troutman Sanders

Dear Gene:
Congratulations on this great anniversary. IPWatchdog and you have been trailblazers in how we keep current with our field. You have been on the forefront of innovation in an area of the law that exists for just that. I could not be prouder than to have been associated with you and IPWatchdog for a portion of this journey. I look forward to many more years of collaboration and cannot wait to see what you have in store for the future. Thank you for all you do.

John M. Rogitz
Of Counsel, Rogitz & Associates

IPWatchdog is the go-to source for industry knowledge, debate, and forward-thinking insight. Gene is the consummate professional and I’m sure he’s steered patent policy in ways we’ll never be able to fully appreciate. Congrats to Gene and the rest of the IP Watchdog crew!

Matteo Sabattini
Director of IP Policy, Ericsson

Without Gene and IPW, the legal community would have missed an opportunity to provide regulators and the public with a platform for fair, balanced and open discussion on IP. IPW has been able to attract and publish articles by leaders in the IP debate, always presenting different views from across the industry. It has in the years improved its content and has become the go-to source for information for the community. In times of heated and sometime polarized debate around IP issues, and when technology leadership of the U.S. is challenged by internal and external factors, IPW has been one of the few pro-IP voices that has never lost its spark, never lost sight of its educational and advocacy vision, and allowed the IP community to remain faithful to its pro-innovation mission.

Russ SliferRussell Slifer
Principal at Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner; Former Deputy Director, USPTO

I want to congratulate Gene on reaching 20 years of reporting on IP-related issues. He had the vision and passion to see that the country needed a vehicle to discuss and debate these important topics. IPWatchdog has become the go-to source for everyone in our profession and I look forward to its continued success.

Erich Spangenberg
CEO, IPwe

The brilliance of IPWatchdog has been that it provides consumable information—sure, it might be talking about some very complicated case or issue, but it discusses it in a manner where normal people can follow the discussion. Far too many in the IP space take complicated issues and make them even more complicated. Gene and the IPWatchdog team are to be congratulated for moving many of us up the curve in our understanding of IP issues.

 

Bob Stoll

Bob Stoll

Robert Stoll
Partner, Drinker Biddle, Former Commissioner for Patents at the USPTO

Congratulations on the celebration of the IPWatchog 20th Anniversary.  As usual, I am someplace else in the world.  I want you to know that I think you have the very best IP Blog anywhere!  When I get up in the mornings, every morning, I read your blog with my coffee.  I then look at it a few times during the day and even before I sleep.  You are the one who explains the emerging stories instead of just reporting on the news.   I don’t always agree with you, particularly on political issues, but you always make me think.  I also enjoy the meetings that you and your lovely bride, Renee, put together to talk about timely topics and strategize about how to approach IP problems. You are an integral part of the IP information dissemination system and do a phenomenal job of spurring domestic economic growth and job creation by shining a light on improvements needed to make the system better. I am proud to also call you a good friend.

Warren Tuttle
Open Innovation Director and President of the United Inventors Association

I have been an avid IPWatchdog follower for the past dozen years and truly appreciate the special access you provide to both front line news and thoughtful opinion. Gene, you have proven to be a tireless defender of grass roots innovation and independent inventors in this country. Your message over the years has been amazingly consistent, cohesive, timely and when necessary provocative. I have shared your columns with more people than you might imagine. I have very fond memories of your interviewing me a few years ago for an IPWatchdog article. As two passionate believers in the critical importance of innovation to the American way of life, it seemed like we talked for days. The article eventually had to be broken up into parts, yet you still printed every word of it! Thank you. As someone who also dedicates a large part of his life to helping innovators, I want to offer my profound respect and sincere thanks for all that you have done to help our community and no doubt will continue to do in the years ahead. You add unique content, perspective and value. You have truly made a difference. 

Karen Wilson-Robinson
Litigation Attorney, Wilson & Brown, PLLC; Former Student of the Patent Practice Training Course

I read IPWatchdog daily, where I’m apprised of developments in the law which often prompts me to do further research to learn more about any given topic. IPWatchdog has become my first source of information when I need to conduct research as I’m often guided in where to obtain additional info. Thank you, Gene for having the foresight to start and maintain this platform and best wishes for 20 more years and beyond.

John White

John White

John White
Partner, Berenato & White

In its present form, IPWatchdog has, in my estimation, immeasurably contributed to a national and even global discussion of IP issues far, far beyond any reasonable expectation. It is read by legislators and their staff; by judges and their clerks; by political administrators; inventors far and wide; and by us IP careerists! This heightened awareness has helped all of us, at all levels, in this business to rapidly articulate and share views in ways not otherwise possible. Thanks Gene—none of this would have been possible without your single-handed devotion and persistence! We should all be buying you a drink!

CHEERS TO 20 YEARS!

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11 comments so far.

  • [Avatar for Renee C. Quinn]
    Renee C. Quinn
    October 18, 2019 10:27 pm

    Thank you to all of your for your kind thoughts and well wishes. We appreciate all of your support we get from all of our readers, authors, commenters, sponsors, advertisers, colleagues and friends. THANK YOU and Cheers to all of you for helping us get to 20 years!

  • [Avatar for Anon]
    Anon
    October 12, 2019 12:23 pm

    That’s a fairly heady list of named people providing some well deserved accolades.

    Let me offer then accolades from the UN-named (or pseudonym-ed) community:

    The editorial controls here provide for both spirited and relatively blight-free interchange and dialogue — as far as the different sides of issues volunteer to engage. It truly is a testament to an admittedly difficult line to maintain when there are passionate people who strongly believe in their own sets of views.

    I tip my hat to all parties that participate here (each to their own chosen extent), and promote that the more one participates (and by that, participate even when counter-points to one’s views are inte11igently presented), the better the entire innovation community becomes.

  • [Avatar for Brad Olson,Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP]
    Brad Olson,Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
    October 11, 2019 11:46 am

    Heartfelt congratulations to Gene and Renée for what is a true American success story. Gene in particular should be recognized for his history of speaking “truth to power” in the patent field, as those who have known him for over 25 years (like me) recall his stands under his own name against online invention mills, WIPO behavior, and Directors of the USPTO who have enacted arguably anti-patent policies. Gene you are a person of character; we are all fortunate to benefit from what you, Renée, and IPWatchdog have achieved. Thank you very much for helping to preserve innovation in a free society.

  • [Avatar for Night Writer]
    Night Writer
    October 11, 2019 08:17 am

    You guys are really the only substantial group that has consistently stood up to the large corporations trying to lessen the patents.

  • [Avatar for Pro Say]
    Pro Say
    October 10, 2019 02:21 pm

    Happy Birthday indeed!

    IPWatchdog just keeps getting better and better … more useful and more useful … more valuable and more valuable … more critical and more critical … to and for the world of IP.

    Thank you for standing up for American innovation … and especially for independent inventors, innovative small companies, and university and non-profit research.

    Here’s to another 20 years Gene, Renee, IPW team, writers, contributors, and thoughtful commentators.

  • [Avatar for Elizabeth Lampert]
    Elizabeth Lampert
    October 10, 2019 11:42 am

    Congratulations and many more happy years!!

  • [Avatar for step back]
    step back
    October 10, 2019 11:40 am

    Keeping a blog like this going for 20+ years is an amazing feat. Congratulations and also deepest thanks for all you contributed.

    That said, it is at the same time sad to reflect on how low have fallen the rights of inventors in the last 20 years. Remember the good old days? When “exclusive” meant an automatic injunction? When 101 meant what it said? When obviousness required evidence in the form of teaching, suggestion and motivation? When the Patent Office did not giveth and then take back after an inventor has been milked for all he or she is worth? Wow! How far we have come in the last two decades.

  • [Avatar for Valuationguy]
    Valuationguy
    October 10, 2019 11:06 am

    Congrats Gene and Co.

    However…I note (thus far) the conspicuous lack above of any well-wishes from the efficient infringement coterie responsible for much of the two decade decline in patent system strength… cough,cough…Dr. Lemley and his Big Tech allies(/masters?).

    Keep up the good fight. Tide seems to finally be starting to turn…

  • [Avatar for Paul Cole]
    Paul Cole
    October 10, 2019 10:36 am

    Very sincere congratulations for all the hard work in starting and maintaining this outstanding blog. I am very well aware of the effort that is needed for a publication of this kind. And you even find space to publish postings and comments from interfering Englishmen!

  • [Avatar for Renee C. Quinn]
    Renee C. Quinn
    October 10, 2019 10:17 am

    Thank you Ternary, for your message. We appreciate all of our readers and we do what we do for all of you!

  • [Avatar for Ternary]
    Ternary
    October 10, 2019 08:32 am

    Twenty years already! How time flies. Congratulations Renée and Gene and all regular contributors. As an independent inventor I have a greatly diminished trust in the patent system. I believe as a group, independent inventors are very fortunate to have IPWatchdog as a consistent advocate for a rational, predictable and equitable patent system. Congratulations again and thank you. Keep up the great work.