While prosecuting a patent application before the USPTO, you receive a novelty or obviousness rejection in which the cited prior art seems very familiar… because it is your own reference. Is this proper? Can a US patent examiner use your own disclosures against you? Like many legal questions, the answer is “it depends.” When … Continue Reading
Since the decision in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International, 573 U.S. 208 (2014), one of the most hotly discussed topics in the US patent field has been patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 (“§ 101”). Certainly, countless hours have been spent debating, discussing, and arguing proper application and interpretation of § 101. This … Continue Reading
On June 24, 2019, the US Supreme Court invalidated the Lanham Act’s ban on registering “immoral or scandalous” trademarks. In Iancu v. Brunetti, the Court held that that the ban, in Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act, violated the First Amendment because it required the Government to discriminate against certain viewpoints: marks considered to have … Continue Reading
On April 22, 2019, the US Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) published a notice in the Federal Register regarding the existing options available for Patent Owners to amend their patents during or after an America Invents Act (“AIA”) challenge proceeding. This notice did not amend or alter existing USPTO practices, but instead summarized and clarified … Continue Reading
In a recent Federal Circuit case, Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Iancu, No. 2017-1357 (Federal Circuit, January 23, 2019), the USPTO’s calculation of Applicant delay in the determination of Patent Term Adjustment was found to be inconsistent with statute.… Continue Reading
On January 7, 2019, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) released its 2019 Revised Patent Subject Matter Eligibility Guidance (“Guidance”), which revises the procedures for determining whether a patent claim is directed towards a judicial exception. Based upon post-Alice Federal Circuit decisions, the Guidance modifies the grouping of abstract ideas, and adds an … Continue Reading
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced revised guidance (2019 Revised Patent Subject Matter Eligibility Guidance) for evaluating subject matter eligibility of patent claims. The new guidance, published in the Federal Register on January 7, 2019, and effective immediately for all applications, is intended to help Examiners determine whether a proposed patent … Continue Reading
On January 4, 2019, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced new guidelines for “Examining Computer-Implemented Functional Claim Limitations for Compliance with 35 U.S.C. § 112.” These guidelines, published in the Federal Register on January 7, 2019, take immediate effect and apply to all pending applications and issued patents. While nothing in these … Continue Reading
