Posts in IPWatchdog Articles
This Week in Washington IP: Rebuilding U.S. Research Enterprises Post-COVID, Climate Change Innovation Strategies and Examining the SolarWinds Data Breach
This week in Washington IP news, both the Senate and the House of Representatives get back into their schedule of committee hearings with the Biden Administration starting …
Eighteen Dollars for Her Patent: Ellen Elgin and the Story of the Clothes-Wringer
In August 1888, Ellen Elgin, a black woman housekeeper, invented a clothes wringer which allowed clothing to be washed and dried faster by feeding clothes through two rollers …
Getting Ready for Arthrex: What the Amici Are Saying
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear, on March 1, 2021, whether administrative patent judges (APJs) of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the U.…
Black Women Inventors Recall Their Paths to Success in USPTO Black History Month Event
On February 10, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) hosted its annual Black History Month program, “Contemporary Black Women Inventors.” The event spotlights Black inventors and …
Other Barks & Bites for Friday, February 19: Tillis Advises Biden on USPTO Director Pick, CNIPA Issues Patent Application Quality Guidelines, and Digital Service Providers Pay $424 Million to Mechanical Licensing Collective
This week in Other Barks & Bites: a bill amending copyright law to increase liability for online platforms republishing news snippets is introduced into Canada’s Senate; Senator …
CAFC Affirms Section 112 Invalidation/ Non-Infringement in Synchronoss v. Dropbox Dispute
On February 12, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed a district court’s conclusion of invalidity under Section 112 and/or non-infringement in …
Gutting Patents Won’t Speed the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
India and South Africa recently urged the World Trade Organization to suspend intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. The claim is that this would allow …
Patent Filings Roundup: Porn Sites Head for PTAB; All-or-Nothing Post Grant Review Institution
Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) filings have settled into a relatively steady-state of roughly 20-30 petitions, occasionally punctuated by a big burst of litigation-related activity. Notably, …
UK Judge Backs Meghan Markle over Leaked Letter
The actor Meghan Markle gained fame playing a paralegal in the TV show Suits. Now, as Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Sussex, she is starring in …
Pardon Me, But What Is the Point of Deciding Whether or Not a Reference ‘Teaches Away’?
"Teaching away" is a concept important to obviousness analysis under U.S. patent law. "Teaching away" basically bears upon the issue of motivation to combine elements in …
Federal Circuit Rules PTAB Erred on Successor-in-Interest Issue in Crocs Case
On February 11, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) granted Mojave Desert Holdings, LLC and U.S.A Dawgs Inc.’s (Mojave and …
Senior UK IP Judge Lord Justice Floyd Retires
One of the specialist IP judges in the England and Wales Court of Appeal, Lord Justice Floyd, retired on February 10, 2021. He had been a Lord Justice of …
Twist Emerges in Senate IP Subcommittee Leadership for 117th Congress
On Sunday, February 14, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate …
This Week in Washington IP: Patent Litigation in China, RBG’s Enduring Legacy in Copyright and Broadband Solutions to Pandemic Problems
This week in Washington IP news, the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hosts a hearing to explore how expanding access to broadband Internet access can address …
Signed with an ‘X’: Judy Reed, Improved Dough Kneader and Roller
Judy W. Reed, one of the first recorded African American women to receive a U.S. patent (No. 305,474), is known for her invention titled “Dough Kneader and …
