News & Analysis as of

United States Patent and Trademark Office Patent Prosecution

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce that serves a fundamental role in the U.S. intellectual property system by issuing patents and registering trademarks.... more +
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce that serves a fundamental role in the U.S. intellectual property system by issuing patents and registering trademarks.    less -
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

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

Baker Botts L.L.P. on

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

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

Baker Botts L.L.P. on

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

ArentFox Schiff

USPTO Aims to Boost Patent Eligibility of AI and ML Inventions

ArentFox Schiff on

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

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

Womble Bond Dickinson

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

Womble Bond Dickinson on

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

Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C.

Strategic Uses and Considerations for Reissue Applications (Part 1 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

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

AI Enters the Design Patent Arena as the USPTO Launches DesignVision

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP on

In a significant step toward modernizing design patent examination, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has introduced DesignVision, a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered image search tool now available...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Federal Circuit Confirms: Prosecution History Disclaimer Applies to Design Patents Too

Fenwick & West LLP on

Many industries rely on design patents to protect the look and feel of their products—especially when aesthetics drive customer interest, brand identity, or market differentiation. In Top Brand LLC v. Cozy Comfort Company...more

Dickinson Wright

2025 Patent Filing Costs Rise: USPTO Fee Update and Response Strategies

Dickinson Wright on

In January 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) implemented a broad set of fee increases and structural adjustments intended to address rising operational costs and encourage more efficient patent...more

McCarter & English, LLP

What to Do Now That the USPTO Accelerated Examination Program Is Ending

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) introduced the Accelerated Examination program in 2006 to help applicants receive expedited examination of important patent applications. The USPTO is ending the Accelerated...more

Offit Kurman

When to Patent: Common Mistakes Business Leaders Make

Offit Kurman on

Suppose a newly hired engineer on your team sketches a promising new concept for a health monitor in a notebook. Excited by the idea, you loop in marketing, and soon, your company is promoting the product’s features through...more

Womble Bond Dickinson

Developments in Patent Subject Matter Eligibility for Software-Related Inventions, in View of Guvera v. Spotify

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Innovators seeking patent protection for software inventions should be aware that all software inventions face patent-eligibility issues. Nevertheless, patent practitioners who are experienced in the art of software patent...more

Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C.

Broadening Your (Patent) Protection

In the fast-paced world of innovation, inventors sometimes realize that their patents do not fully protect their inventions until after the patent issues. If the patent family has an application still pending at the patent...more

American Conference Institute (ACI)

[Event] 23rd Advanced Summit on Life Sciences Patents - May 19th - 20th, New York, NY

At ACI’s 23rd Advanced Summit on Life Sciences Patents, you can expect informational overviews and thorough discussion of every facet of the industry. In a time of major legislative, regulatory, and judicial change, you can't...more

Saul Ewing LLP

USPTO Accelerates the Issuance of Patents: What Intellectual Property Owners Need to Know

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On April 15, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) informed the public that, effective May 13, 2025, the USPTO will be accelerating the process for issuing patents. Currently, the time between Issue...more

MoFo Tech

Federal Circuit Clarifies Requirements for Prior Art Under Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. § 102(e)

MoFo Tech on

Knowing what qualifies as prior art is a core requirement of patent practitioners—whether in life sciences, in the technology sectors or in post-grant proceedings. It is important to keep abreast of changes to the rules,...more

K&L Gates LLP

Detailed Guidance on New USPTO IDS Size Fees

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On 19 January 2025 the USPTO enacted a new Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) size fee. A new IDS size fee, codified under 37 C.F.R. 1.17(v), is accrued for any pending application when the number of cumulative references...more

Lathrop GPM

Significant Federal Circuit Decision Redefines Prior Art Requirements

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Last week a remarkably interesting Federal Circuit case was decided concerning whether an asserted reference was properly shown to qualify as prior art in the rejection of a pending patent application. The pending application...more

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