Aerospace technology companies often decide between patenting an innovation or keeping it as a trade secret. Typically, the analysis involves comparing the potential strength of patent protection that is likely to result. If...more
Pure titanium and titanium alloys, including Ti-6Al-4V, are used in aerospace applications for forming airframes and engine parts because of their light weight, high strength, and resistance to corrosion. However, titanium is...more
As the larger aerospace industry continues to grow, space technology companies are pursuing innovations for in-space manufacturing. This technology includes producing and/or assembling structures or other items in orbit, or...more
Space Technology Investments Clear the Launch Tower in 2025Tom Cowan Investments in space technology are off to a strong start in the first half of 2025. The rising trend over the last four years, as mentioned in a...more
Investments in space technology are off to a strong start in the first half of 2025. The rising trend over the last four years, as mentioned in a previous Knobbe Martens Aerospace Blog post, appears to be continuing. The...more
Investors have recently provided solid funding to the space technology sector, with the trend showing signs of continuing in Q1 2025. The general trend over the last half decade for the number of investments in space...more
Market reports indicate the global medical device industry for Q3 2024 saw an increase in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in terms of value year-over-year. Although deal value decreased compared to Q2 2024, deal volume...more
Florida is more than just the home of alligators and presidential candidates. The state was recently ranked as the fourth largest “medical device state” in the U.S., after California, Minnesota, and Massachusetts. It was...more
On June 5, 2023, Conformal Medical Inc., developer of a left atrial appendage occlusion system, announced a successful Series D funding round, raising a total of $35 million. The round was led by SPRIG Equity with...more
Brain computer interface developer Paradromics on May 18, 2023, announced a $33 million Series A funding round as well as a “Breakthrough Device Designation” from the FDA....more
On July 29, 2022, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a Notice by Director Kathy Vidal that may be relevant to those seeking or holding patents on medical devices that require Food and Drug...more
Cybellum released a medical device survey report on April 20, 2022 entitled “Medical Device Cybersecurity: Trends and Predictions.” The company’s website states that their “mission is to enable manufacturers and their...more
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) allows a patent applicant to pay reduced fees if it qualifies as a “small entity.” Many types of filing fees are reduced by 50%. These savings can be important for companies on a...more
Shutdown orders due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic have created economic disruption, causing companies to scale back on intellectual property (IP) expense. This creates an opportunity to move ahead of the competition. This is...more
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) allows for a trademark application to be filed on an “Intent to Use” basis to establish a priority date before the mark is actually “used in commerce.” However, such use in...more
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) allows for a trademark application to be filed on an “Intent to Use” basis to establish a priority date before the mark is actually “used in commerce.” However, such use in...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued two new guidance documents related respectively to an “abbreviated” and a “special” approach to the typical 510(K) process for medical devices....more
Associate Tom Cowan presented "Patent Basics for the Aerospace Industry," at the Space Foundation Space Commerce Workshop at the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California. As the keynote speaker for the event, Tom...more
3/2/2019
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Willful Infringement
Global medical device company Boston Scientific has announced on December 27, 2018, that it exercised its option to acquire remaining shares of privately-held medical device company Millipede, Inc. upon its recent successful...more
On November 9, 2018, Cook Medical LLC filed a petition with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board requesting inter partes review (IPR) of U.S. Patent No. 6,306,141, assigned to Medtronic Vascular, Inc. The ‘141 Patent is...more
The medical device and related markets have shown some growth recently. For example, IHI, an iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF, has a total return of about 24% year-to-date in 2018. In the same time period, the S&P 500 has...more
The market for medical device connectivity is projected to reach about $2.6 billion by the year 2023, according to a report published in April 2018 by several publishers. The report states that the connectivity market for...more
Global medical device company Boston Scientific has announced on January 24, 2018, an agreement to make a $90 million investment in privately-held medical device company Millipede, Inc. Millipede has developed a non-invasive...more
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Notice on July 11, 2017, exempting 1,003 Class II medical devices from premarket notification requirements under Section 510(k). The Notice indicates that anyone...more
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a proposed guidance on August 8, 2016, regarding software changes to medical devices. The proposed guidance relates to requirements for submitting medical device software...more