On Monday, December 12, 2016, the White House’s Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) released a joint strategic plan for intellectual property enforcement, entitled “Supporting Innovation, Creativity, & Enterprise: Charting a Path Ahead.” The coordinated approach, mandated by Title III of the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008 (PRO-IP […]
Patent Application Basics – types of applications
This article is an introduction into some of the basics on the type of applications one needs to consider before applying for a patent. The types of patents are Utility Patents, Design Patents, or Plant Patents, while applications take a wider variety of forms depending on your goals. These include Provisional vs. Non-Provisional applications, along […]
Patent Basics – Patentability
This article is an introduction to some of the characteristics that determine whether a patent application may result in a successful patent, that is to say whether the application has “patentability”. Patentability requires that the claimed invention (1) is patent eligible, (2) is useful, (3) has not been anticipated by prior art, (4) is not […]
What Is A Patent?
What is a Patent An inventor may obtain a patent by applying for one with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). A patent operates as a property right for the inventor, similar to how owning land lets you prevent other from entering it, a patent gives the owner the ability to exclude […]
New USPTO Leadership
With presidentially appointed positions, the leadership of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) traditionally sees a shake-up with each new administration. The transition will be no different with the Biden Administration. Former Director Andrei Iancu has left the USPTO after being appointed Director in 2017 by President Trump. In his place, Drew Hirshfeld […]
The Fate of Intellectual Property Under Trump
Through protecting his brand and rights of publicity, Trump has accumulated more experience with IP than any other president. He owns more than 100 trademarks and has not shied from enforcing them. He’s also expressed concern about theft of trade secrets by China, referencing a study by the ITC that claims putting a stop to […]
The Doctrine of Equivalents Isn’t Very Important
Of every 100 findings of direct infringement by U.S. courts, only about 10 are findings of direct infringement under the doctrine of equivalents. This number sheds light on the importance of DOE claim scope relative to literal claim scope. Some applicants may spend a lot of time and energy on the DOE and the nuances […]
IPR Statistics Revisited: Yep, It’s A Patent Killing Field
Some view Inter Partes Review (IPR) as a patent killing field. Yet, the statistics published by the PTO seem to suggest that the patent kill rate in IPR is modest, and other commentators suggest that it’s roughly comparable to the kill rate in district court. The truth is closer to the killing field. Whether this […]
AIPLA Survey of Costs of Patent Litigation and Inter Partes Review
Every other year the American Intellectual Property Law Association conducts an economic survey, which provides the best average estimates of the costs of patent infringement litigation in federal court, among other things. Here we summarize some portions of the 2015 Report of the Economic Survey, the most recent available. For the first time, the AIPLA […]
Useful Patent Statistics
The arts of prosecuting, litigating, monetizing and teaching patents can progress only so far without benefit of empirical, quantitative data. To that end, we’re gathering up the most useful patent statistics available today. Most of them are little known, because they come from a wide variety of scattered sources where they are typically presented in […]
FY 2017-2019 Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement
On Monday, December 12, 2016, the White House’s Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) released a joint strategic plan for intellectual property enforcement, entitled “Supporting Innovation, Creativity, & Enterprise: Charting a Path Ahead.” The coordinated approach, mandated by Title III of the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008 (PRO-IP […]