Every year has its “it” term.In 2025, the crown belonged to AI, and rightfully so. AI dominated the headlines, flooded the USPTO’s dockets, and triggered more §101 rejections than any examiner would care to admit. If you...more
12/10/2025
/ Abstract Ideas ,
Alice/Mayo ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Innovative Technology ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inventors ,
Machine Learning ,
MPEP ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Examinations ,
Patent Prosecution ,
Patent Prosecution History ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Section 101 ,
USPTO
Thanksgiving is finally here, which means the turkey gets its annual moment in the spotlight. For 364 days a year, the turkey is just trying to fit in. It was forced to take on roles it never auditioned for. Turkey bacon....more
11/21/2025
/ Agribusiness ,
Agricultural Sector ,
Claim Construction ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Products . ,
Innovation ,
Inventions ,
Inventors ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Examinations ,
Patent Prosecution ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
USPTO
Another day, another change at the USPTO.
If you have ever filed a patent application, you know there is a section that asks for your entity status: Large, Small, or Micro. If you have ever asked yourself whether size...more
11/14/2025
/ Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Fraud ,
Inventors ,
Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) ,
Micro Entity Status ,
MPEP ,
New Rules ,
Patent Applicants ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Examinations ,
Patent Fees ,
Patent Prosecution ,
USPTO
Growing up, my mom had a rule: you have to make your own Halloween costume from whatever we had at home. This worked fine until the year I wanted to be He-Man....more
Another day and another change at the USPTO. On October 8, the USPTO announced an Artificial Intelligence Pilot Program for pre-examination searches. Last week, on October 24, the USPTO followed with the Streamlined Claim Set...more
10/28/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Automated Decision Systems (ADS) ,
Emerging Technologies ,
Innovative Technology ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Patent Applications ,
Patents ,
Pilot Programs ,
Prior Art ,
USPTO ,
USPTO Pilot Program
The USPTO just changed how interviews between a USPTO patent examiner and a patent applicant are treated. On October 2, USPTO management revised the examiner Performance Appraisal Plan (PAP) for FY 2026, capping compensation...more
Starting January 1, 2026, California’s AI Transparency Act (SB 942) goes into effect, marking the first law in the U.S. to require built-in disclosures and detection tools for generative AI content. Do not panic (yet). This...more
Superman has soared back onto the big screen, and unless you’ve been locked in the Fortress of Solitude, you already know his origin story: Rocketed from the doomed planet Krypton. Raised in Kansas. Secretly, a mild-mannered...more
7/15/2025
/ Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
DC Comics ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Movies ,
Patent Litigation ,
Popular ,
Trademarks
A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away, voice acting was the exclusive domain of talented humans. But today, in the age of generative AI, even the iconic voice of a legendary villain can be conjured without a single...more
6/2/2025
/ AI Act ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Deep Fake ,
Entertainment Industry ,
EPIC ,
Innovative Technology ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Machine Learning ,
Name and Likeness ,
Online Gaming ,
Right of Publicity ,
Video Games
Beginning May 13, 2025, the window between paying the issue fee and your patent officially issuing will become much shorter....more
5/1/2025
/ Application Fees ,
Best Practices ,
Continuation Applications ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
New Guidance ,
Notice of Allowance ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Fees ,
Patents ,
Regulatory Reform ,
USPTO
After weeks of hypothetical buzzer-beaters, patent face-offs, and a few well-placed Braveheart reference, Innovation Madness has crowned a champion....more
Welcome back to Innovation Madness, where game-changing basketball inventions go head-to-head to determine which patent truly changed the game. We’ve narrowed the field to eight elite contenders. The matchups are fierce. The...more
When we kicked off Innovation Madness: The Ultimate Basketball Patent Bracket, we asked one simple question: Which basketball invention truly changed the game?...more
The journey from Dr. James Naismith’s invention of basketball in 1891 to today’s fast-paced, high-flying game is a story of constant innovation—one that perfectly showcases the importance of intellectual property....more
As we near the end of February, it’s a great time to talk about something that might seem straightforward—USPTO response deadlines—but can actually be a little sneaky. Why? Because February insists on being the shortest month...more
As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, they aren’t just battling for another championship—they’re chasing history. A win would cement their place in the record books as the first...more
Thanksgiving is a time for family, gratitude, and—let’s be honest—lots of food. But for vegetarians, it can feel more like a minefield of side dishes. While others enjoy the turkey, vegetarians are often left piecing together...more
Attention, inventors, in-house counsel, and anyone with a vested interest in the world of intellectual property: the USPTO just issued its final rule for patent fees. This is a follow-up to the 2023 proposal—but with a...more
Halloween is a time for goblins, ghouls, and—if you’re an inventor—a whole lot of creative thinking! Among the cauldron of Halloween patents, one particularly clever design stands out: a patented method for decorating...more
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has officially announced that the After Final Consideration Pilot Program 2.0 (AFCP 2.0) will soon be laid to rest. In a notice dated October 1, 2024, the USPTO confirmed that the...more
This year’s Olympic Games have already been packed with compelling storylines. These storylines include the somewhat controversial opening ceremony to Yusuf “hold my beer” Dikec winning hearts and the silver medal in pistol...more
This 4th of July, look up and you might notice something spectacularly different lighting up the night sky. The days of stunning displays that relied solely on the crackle and pop of fireworks are numbered. In a remarkable...more
In 2014, the Supreme Court upended U.S. patent law in the landmark ruling for Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International. The Alice decision established new standards for determining whether inventions, especially those related...more
5/16/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
CLS Bank v Alice Corp ,
Computer-Related Inventions ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Machine Learning ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Section 101 ,
Software
Before we start the show, the casts of characters may drive you Off the Wall, so here’s a little primer to help you:
Triumph International, Inc. (“Triumph”) is a merchandise licensing company for the estate of Michael...more
The USPTO’s recent guidance on AI usage marks a critical moment for legal practitioners. This document emphasizes the necessity for both technical and human oversight in mitigating the risks associated with AI tools. The...more