News & Analysis as of

Patent Prosecution

Volpe Koenig

Working within the USPTO Track 1 Limits

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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) Prioritized Patent Examination Program, known as the Track-1 Program, provides an accelerated patent application examination in exchange for additional filing fees to those...more

Foster Swift Collins & Smith

IP Monday: Provisional vs. Non-Provisional Patents — When to File What

In the U.S., patent rights generally go to the first inventor to file — not the first to invent. Filing early secures your place in line. But the type of application you choose (provisional vs. non-provisional) can...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Federal Circuit Skeptical of Prosecution Laches

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In Google v. Sonos, the Federal Circuit soundly disposed of arguments that the patent-in-suit was unenforceable due to laches based on an “unreasonable delay” in patent prosecution. Does the court’s reasoning foreclose the...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Federal Circuit Pushes Back on Prosecution Laches

In October 2023, we reported on the district court decision in Sonos, Inc. v. Google LLC. The decision was notable for reviving the prosecution laches doctrine to render unenforceable a continuation patent filed 13 years...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

The Federal Circuit Calls for a Replay Allowing Sonos Another Opportunity at Google

The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Google LLC v. Sonos, Inc. (24-1097) offers a compelling look at the evolving doctrine of prosecution laches, the written description requirement, and the practical realities of patent...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Inventor’s Failure to Provide Material Information to the USPTO Results in an Unenforceable Patent

On August 20, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (court) found inequitable conduct when Applicant, Lindis Biotech, GMBH (Lindis), relied on data from hastily performed experiments to obtain a patent...more

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt PC

Latest Federal Court Cases: Global Health Solutions LLC v. Selner

Global Health Solutions LLC v. Selner, Appeal No. 2023-2009 (Fed. Cir. Aug. 26, 2025) - In our Case of the Week, the Federal Circuit conducted its first review of a derivation proceeding under the America Invents Act that...more

Knobbe Martens

U.S. Design “Rocket Docket” Grounded

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The U.S. Patent Office’s program for expedited examination of design applications under 37 CFR 1.155 (often called the design “rocket docket”), which was suspended earlier this year, was formally canceled in an amended...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

Reissuing a Reissued Patent: Additional Formatting Rules and Pitfalls

Over the past couple of years we have discussed the important role a broadening or narrowing reissue can play in proper portfolio development and resuscitation of a patent or patent family after invalidation in court or the...more

Baker Botts L.L.P.

Patent Application Prosecution Timeline: What Startup Leaders Need to Know

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For startup founders and CTOs navigating the patent landscape, understanding the prosecution timeline is essential for strategic planning and resource allocation. After filing your patent application with the USPTO, the...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

Reissue, Reexamination, and Supplemental Examination Strategies and Insights – August 2025

In the mid-2000s, the U.S. Patent Office (USPTO) determined that reexaminations would be more consistent and legally correct if performed by a centralized set of experienced and specially trained Examiners. As a result, the...more

Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, P.C.

Breaking the Patent Thicket: Why the Proposed ETHIC Act Could Have Big Implications on Pharma Patent Law

On July 15, 2025, U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D‑VT), Josh Hawley (R‑MO), and Amy Klobuchar (D‑MN) introduced the ETHIC Act—the Eliminating Thickets to Increase Competition Act (S. 2276)—in the U.S. Senate. The bill is designed...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

UKIPO Decides Patentability of Computer Games in the UK Involving Real-World Player Interactions

A recent decision issued by the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) concerning a patent application filed by a game developer company Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (Bandai Namco) serves as a useful example for informing...more

Knobbe Martens

Deleted Specification Portions Undermine Claim Construction

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FMC Corp. v. Sharda USA, LLC - Before Moore, Chen, and Barnett. Appeal from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The district court erred by construing a claim term based on disclosures made in a provisional application and...more

American Conference Institute (ACI)

[Virtual Conference] Passport to Proficiency on the Essentials of Hatch-Waxman and BPCIA - October 14th - 30th, 1:00 pm EST

ACI’s virtual Annual Passport to Proficiency on the Essentials of Hatch-Waxman and BPCIA equips early-career professionals with the legal and regulatory fluency needed to contribute meaningfully to product strategy and...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Navigating the PTAB’s New Discretionary Denial Landscape: Strategic Shifts for Patent Challenges

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The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has undergone significant changes in how it evaluates patent challenges, creating both opportunities and obstacles for technology and life sciences companies....more

Baker Botts L.L.P.

The Provisional Patent Trap—Why Cutting Corners Can Place Startup IP Rights at Risk

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For startups sensitive to cash burn rate, provisional patent applications often seem like the perfect solution—lower filing fees, simplified requirements, and a full year to file the "real" application. However, this...more

Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP

USPTO Issues Guidance Clarifying Subject Matter Eligibility for AI and Software Claims

On August 4, the USPTO issued a Memorandum to examiners in Technology Centers 2100, 2600, and 3600, providing reminders and clarifications on evaluating subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101. This guidance is...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

In re BAC IP B.V. (Fed. Cir. 2025)

A patent applicant dissatisfied by an patent examiner's rejection of that applicant's claims in ex parte prosecution has recourse by appeal to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) under 35 U.S.C. § 134, and to the Federal...more

ArentFox Schiff

USPTO Aims to Boost Patent Eligibility of AI and ML Inventions

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The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued new guidance to clarify and improve the evaluation of patent eligibility for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) inventions in order to foster...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

D. Mass.: Knowledge of Parent Patent, by Itself, May Not Suffice to Show Knowledge of Child Patent for Purposes of Indirect and...

In considering a motion to dismiss infringement claims for two related patents, the District of Massachusetts recently held that pre-suit knowledge of a “parent” patent, without more, is insufficient to establish pre-suit...more

Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C.

Strategic Uses and Considerations for Reissue Applications (Part 3 of 3)

Reissue applications represent a very small fraction of the total number of applications filed at the USPTO each year. Indeed, at the midpoint of 2025, over 1.2 million utility applications have been filed, with less than 300...more

Morgan Lewis

Federal Circuit Applies Prosecution History Estoppel Based on Claim Cancellation

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The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently held that cancellation of a claim during prosecution may give rise to prosecution history estoppel, precluding the patentee from recapturing the surrendered subject...more

Hudnell Law Group

Federal Circuit Rejects Formalistic Shield to Prosecution History Estoppel

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On July 18, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed a $106 million jury verdict in Colibri Heart Valve LLC v. Medtronic CoreValve, LLC, No. 2023-2153, finding that Colibri’s infringement claim under...more

Womble Bond Dickinson

Reminder: “Consisting essentially of” Is U.S. Patent Claim Language Needing Interpretation

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On June 30, 2025, the Federal Circuit issued a precedential opinion in Eye Therapies v. Slayback Pharma in which the court interpreted the transition phrase “consisting essentially of” to be a closed term excluding other...more

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