Every Step You Take (I’ll Be Watching You): Virtual Assistant Patents Raise Privacy Concerns

By Sarah M.D. Luth

An Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA) is an artificial intelligence system that emulates a human person in terms of intelligence, understanding, response, and adaptability. An IVA differs from traditional interactive voice response systems largely in its use of machine learning, which allows an IVA to predict user actions. The global IVA market is predicted to reach […]

USPTO Issues Final Rule Amending Rules of Practice For Biological Sequence Listings

By Melissa M. Mitchell

On May 20th, the United States Patent and Trademark Office published a Final Rule amending the rules of practice associated with disclosures of nucleotide and amino acid sequences in patent applications. The new standards, applicable to all patent applications filed on or after July 1, 2022, will bring the USPTO rules of practice into conformity […]

Manipulating the Time it Takes to Get a Patent, Legally!

By Gregory Lars Gunnerson

A common question I am commonly asked is: How long will it take for me to get a patent? The answer is it depends. There are a few factors. Some art units are faster to examine patent applications than others. Some Examiners issue more communications, known as Office actions, than others. If an Examiner mails […]

Peace of Mind for Trademark Rebranding

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Whether you are a start-up or a Fortune 500 company, rebranding a business or product can seem like an overwhelming and daunting task. However, it doesn’t have to be. While there is always going to be risk involved when undertaking a rebranding or choosing a name, there are some small steps that you can take […]

Elon Musk’s Neuralink and the Brain-Machine Interface Patent Landscape

Neuralink is a brain-machine interface (BMI) company purchased in 2016 by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, Space X and Hyperloop. The company is developing an “ultra-high bandwidth brain-machine interface”, essentially a network of tiny electrodes linked to a user’s brain that allows the user to communicate wirelessly with the world. The company envisions that […]

Sycamore Brewing versus Stone Brewing Over “Keep it Juicy” Phrase on Packaging

By Ashley E. Holland

Stone Brewing might have to change its marketing and packaging around its popular Hazy IPA beer. On April 21, The District Court for the Western District of North Carolina granted Sycamore Brewing’s request for Stone Brewing to stop using the phrase “keep it juicy” on their boxes of Hazy IPA beer. This case centered on […]

USPTO Continues Transition to Filing Patent Applications in DOCX

By Luke T. Mohrhauser

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) continues the push towards requiring all patent applications to be filed in DOCX format, instead of PDF, which is currently the case. Applicants would be able to still file in PDF format, but with an extra surcharge fee. As you recall, this was intended to go into […]

MVS Celebrates World Intellectual Property Day 2022

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McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC is excited to support World Intellectual Property Day on April 26, 2022. This day celebrates the role intellectual property rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity and the many inspiring inventors and creators around the world who are working to provide for a better tomorrow. The theme for this year’s […]

It Is Our Duty to Protect the Patent System. Here’s How We Can.

By Heidi Sease Nebel

This article was first published in AUTM Insight. As an attorney in private practice, time is money – quite literally. The billable hour looms over every business day. With that in mind, people often ask me why I choose to volunteer my time and serve for organizations such as AUTM, the Plant Variety Protection (PVP) […]

Get out and Support Technology Transfer and the USICA!

By Heidi Sease Nebel

Research that is conducted at our many Universities has changed the lives of us all with valuable scientific advances that translate into commercial products. Public sector research has lead to ground breaking new technology such as gene editing, as well as cutting-edge mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. Other commercial products such as high-definition televisions, Google’s search algorithm, […]