USPTO’s 2025 Revised Inventorship Guidance for AI-Assisted Inventions: What It Means for Inventors and Patent Practitioners By Gregory Lars Gunnerson In late 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a Revised Inventorship Guidance for AI-Assisted Inventions (Docket No. PTO-P-2025-0014) that clarifies how inventorship is determined when artificial intelligence tools are involved. This new guidance explicitly rescinds the USPTO’s February 2024 inventorship guidance and replaces it with a framework grounded in traditional principles, […] Continue Reading →
Nintendo Secures Key Gameplay Patents, Expanding IP Control Over Core Mechanics By Sarah M.D. Luth In September 2025, Nintendo obtained two significant U.S. patents that represent a growing trend in how game developers protect intellectual property in gameplay systems. The first patent, U.S. Patent 12,409,387, covers riding and flying mechanics that allow players to more seamlessly transition on, off, and between riding objects. Nintendo obtained U.S. Patent 12,403,397, which protects […] Continue Reading →
From Cresco to the World: Norman Borlaug’s Legacy and the Global Impact of Plant Breeders’ Rights By Heidi Sease Nebel Norman Borlaug grew up in Cresco, Iowa, a small farm town, like so many in my home state. Iowa’s 30-36 million acres of farmland sit atop rich glacial soils, and are combined with ideal rainfall and a temperate climate, all of which have made Iowa one of the national Agricultural leaders, producing abundant crops with no […] Continue Reading →
Considerations for Patent Continuations and Divisionals By Luke T. Mohrhauser Patent applications are often drafted very early during the development of a system, method, or apparatus. This could be during the development of a new or upcoming product offering, or iterative improvements to existing products. There can be conflicting considerations in (1) covering the new development, while also (2) disclosing as broadly as possible […] Continue Reading →
Trademark Considerations in the Purchase or Sale of a Business By Christine Lebron-Dykeman A trademark or service mark consists of any word, name, symbol, or device (e.g., product design or packaging, color, sound, or smell) that is distinctive and non-functional used by a person or business as a “source identifier”. In other words, when consumers or potential consumers see the mark, they associate it with the manufacturer or […] Continue Reading →
Rethinking Patent Dispute Strategy: Mediation in Life Sciences By Cassie J. Edgar Patent disputes at the intersection of science and law, such as in agriculture and health care, have always carried unique weight. They involve inventions that impact food security, patient outcomes, regulatory timelines, and billion-dollar markets. Litigation is a main option for resolution, but increasingly companies are turning to structured settlement processes designed specifically for complex […] Continue Reading →
Denmark Leads Battle Against AI Deepfakes By Kirk M. Hartung (Jointly authored by Kirk Hartung, an IP attorney in the U.S., and Danish attorneys Niels Skyttedal Dahl-Nielsen and Sille Rahbæk Grostøl) Denmark’s parliament has recently proposed new legislation, the first of its kind in Europe, which will give individuals rights to their own face, body, and voice in connection with the use of AI. In […] Continue Reading →
USPTO Seeking to Leverage Artificial Intelligence to Assist with Patent Examination By Joseph M. Hallman In a world where the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more prevalent by the day, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is planning to utilize AI for patent examination purposes. On June 4, 2025, the USPTO published a Request for Information (RFI) via SAM.gov, which is the System for Award Management and […] Continue Reading →
USPTO Accelerates Patent Grants: What Applicants Need to Know By Melissa M. Mitchell As of May 13, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has accelerated the time between issue notification and issue date to approximately 2 weeks from a previous average of 3 weeks. The USPTO states that expedited issuance has been made possible through elimination of administrative redundancies and by the electronic grant (eGrant) system. […] Continue Reading →
Celebrating Innovation: The 2025 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees By Kirk M. Hartung The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) was founded in 1973 in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It has inducted more than 600 inventors who have created great technological innovations which have benefited all phases of life. NIHF honors the past with stories of ingenuity and invention and invests in future […] Continue Reading →