USPTO Publishes its 2014 Patent Public Advisory Committee Annual Report The Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) for the USPTO published its Annual Report for the 2014 fiscal year. The annual report is directed to the President of the United States and addresses many issues faced in the previous fiscal year, summaries of goals met, and recommendations for the future. The 2014 report expressed concerns over the […] Continue Reading →
STEM Education Linked to Increased Innovation, Patenting An interesting new discussion paper from John V. Winters at Oklahoma State University highlights the connection between foreign and native college graduates with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degrees and per capita patenting. The data appear to disclose that the amount of STEM degrees per metropolitan area significantly increases the amount of patents issued […] Continue Reading →
2014 World Food Day and Borlaug Dialogue Takes Place in Des Moines Iowa The 2014 theme for World Food Day was “Family Farming: Feeding the world, caring for the earth.” This event took place during the 2014 Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium held in Des Moines, Iowa. MVS was represented by attorney Scott Johnson to honor the 2014 Laureate, Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram for his work in developing wheat varieties. […] Continue Reading →
FDA Releases First “Purple Book” for Biosimilar Products The Biosimilars Act (BSA) was passed into law on March 23, 2010 with the goal of encouraging the market entry of generic products, similar to the system that exists for generic drugs under the Hatch-Waxman Act. The BSA sets forth an abbreviated approval pathway for biologics through a regulatory demonstration of biosimilarity (i.e. interchangeability). More […] Continue Reading →
Should Trade Secret Misappropriation be Federalized? The legal community (along with bipartisan legislation) has been discussing the creation of a private cause of action under federal laws for trade secret misappropriation – or trade secret theft. In light increased cyber-espionage and the apparent ease in which trade secrets can be misappropriated in the marketplace, Congress has taken an apparent interest in […] Continue Reading →
USPTO Cancels Washington, D.C. NFL Franchise’s Trademark Registrations The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a decision yesterday cancelling six federal trademark registrations owned by the Washington, D.C. National Football League franchise. The cancellation proceeding was brought by five Native American petitioners on the basis that the marks disparage persons or bring them into contempt or disrepute in violation of 15 U.S.C. […] Continue Reading →
USPTO Glossary Pilot Program The USPTO has instituted a new program, the Glossary Pilot Program, which began June 2, 2014. The program will allow applicants for computer-related inventions to petition to make special entry into the Glossary Pilot Program with the filing of an application. Applications accepted into this pilot program will receive expedited processing and be placed on […] Continue Reading →
Jury Returns Verdict for Apple in Patent Infringement Suit On Friday, May 2, 2014 a jury found Samsung Electronics Co. ("Samsung") liable for infringing two patents owned by Apple, Inc. ("Apple"). The two patents are U.S. Patent No.5,946,647, which is directed to systems and methods that analyze text for things that can be hyperlinked, e.g., email addresses, websites, and phone numbers, and then provides […] Continue Reading →
Bring on the New Year – What is in Store for IP in 2014? Happy New Year to all of our FilewrapperÒ followers! We hope 2013 was a productive year and wish you the best in 2014. As the New Year quickly approaches we would like to share with you a few predictions for 2014 for you to look forward to and for which to prepare! · Increased opportunities […] Continue Reading →
H.R. 3309 – The Innovation Act On December 5, 2013, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3309, the “Innovation Act”, with bipartisan support by an overwhelming margin of 325-91 votes. H.R. 3309 was drafted to address the perceived growing problem of abusive patent litigation attributed to alleged “patent trolls.” Early next year, the Senate will likely consider a companion bill, S. […] Continue Reading →