Features
Federal Judge Blasts Patent Trolls
A recent order from Chief Judge Colm Connolly in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware may serve as a warning for "patent trolls" — the derogatory term used to describe companies whose sole function is to acquire and then assert patents, often in cases that are questionable on the merits — against filing cases in Delaware going forward.
Features
Recent Patent Trial and Appeal Board Approaches to Patent Claims on Medical Technology Implementing AI
Each decision involves reversal of a prior art rejection and contrasts with the other decisions on subject matter eligibility, revealing different PTAB approaches and results that can inform prosecution and appeal strategies.
Features
Can Artificial Intelligence Patents Overcome §112 Requirements?, Part 2
Part Two of a Two-Part article While the last decade has seen a dramatic increase in the number of AI patents, such patents face difficulty in overcoming the patent-eligibility challenges under §101 and Alice. Section 101, however, is not the only hurdles AI patents must overcome. Section 112, with its written description, enablement, and definiteness requirements, presents additional obstacles.
Features
How Patent Owners Can Leverage Climate Change Programs In Their IP Strategies
The USPTO has created or expanded several programs to promote the development of sustainable energy. For patent owners and inventors in the energy sector, these programs can provide a financial and administrative edge for the development and protection of their intellectual property, as well as play a beneficial role their overall IP strategy.
Features
Can Artificial Intelligence Patents Survive Alice?
Part One of a Two-Part Article Under the current Alice framework, those attempting to patent AI innovations face an uphill battle. But, as the caselaw demonstrates, inventors and patent drafters can take steps to reduce the risk of AI patent claims being invalidated as abstract ideas.
Columns & Departments
IP News
Federal Circuit: PTAB Did Not Err In Finding That It Retained Authority to Issue Final Written Decision After Deadline Passed Federal Circuit: District Court Did Not Err In Finding That an Abbreviated New Drug Application Is Limited to the Uses Described Therein
Features
Director Vidal's Impact On the PTAB: Big Changes and More On the Way
Perhaps the largest impact that Director Vidal has had upon the PTAB is has been via Director Reviews. The U.S. Supreme Court mandated Director Reviews to correct procedural defects in the way that administrative patent judges are appointed to the PTAB.
Features
Designing the Future: Protecting AR/VR Innovations With Design Patents
The future is only redesigned every so often, so it is worth asking, what will this new technology look like, and how can pioneers protect their user-facing innovations that will define this emerging space? Design patents are the answer.
Features
Protecting Artificial Intelligence Inventions: Takeaways from 'IBM v. Zillow' from a Patent Drafting Perspective
Part Two of a Two-Part Article In Part One, we discussed the IBM v. Zillow case, where IBM sued Zillow for infringing on seven IBM's patents directed to artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for estimating property value. The focus was on the difficulties in establishing patent infringement on specific AI algorithms, as well as the strategic advantages of including additional patent claims that target ancillary features of an AI system. In this segment, we will analyze the claims made in the IBM v. Zillow case and present some tips for drafting AI-related claims from the perspective of patent infringement.
Features
Federal Circuit Imperils Term-Adjusted Patents
The Federal Circuit recently upheld the Patent Office's decision to reject claims in four separate reexamination cases due to obviousness-type double patenting (ODP).
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