White House Calls for Modernization of Biotechnology Regulations Biotechnological innovation is potentially subject to a variety of governmental regulations. For example, therapeutics for disease treatment or prevention in humans are subject to review and approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Innovations relating to crops or livestock may be subject to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). However, the regulations promulgated by these governmental agencies are […] Continue Reading →
USPTO Announces Expedited Patent Appeal Program On June 15, 2015, the USPTO announced in a Federal Register Notice that they will be commencing the Expedited Patent Appeal Pilot Program. This initial program will be available until either 2,000 ex parte patent appeals are expedited under the program, or until June 20, 2016, whichever occurs first. Typically, appeals are taken up by […] Continue Reading →
Blurred Lines in Copyright Law Following ‘Blurred Lines’ Jury Verdict Under the Copyright Act of 1909, a work was protected when it was published with the notice of copyright protection. Although changed by the Copyright Act of 1976, releasing a sound recording of a composition under the 1909 act (i.e., musical notes and lyrics) did not constitute “publication”of a musical work. Thus, for musical works […] Continue Reading →
Michelle Lee Confirmed as USPTO Director The Senate on Monday confirmed the White House’s nominee for the long-vacant director position at the USPTO. Director Lee had been serving as Deputy Director and acting Director for over a year, pending the nomination process. Director Lee takes over for former-Director Kappos, who left the position in February 2013. The confirmation has been both […] Continue Reading →
Alternative Patent Reform Legislation Proposed in Senate Even though the America Invents Act is just over 3 years old, patent reform legislation has arisen on several occasions over the past years. The most visible legislative efforts have involved the “Innovation Act” proposed by Senator Goodlatte in 2013, and again in 2015. The version of the Innovation Act introduced in 2013 stalled out […] Continue Reading →
Update on “Patent Troll” Legislation in the Wake of the 2014 Elections In December of 2013, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3309, the "Innovation Act," ostensibly to address the problem of abusive patent litigation, sometimes referred to as patent trolling. While H.R. 3309 passed with bipartisan support by an overwhelming margin of 325-91 votes, its companion bill failed to clear the Senate. Failure of the […] Continue Reading →
USPTO Releases New Guidelines on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility The USPTO today released new Guidance on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility. The new guidance comes nearly 9 months after the first set of “2014 Procedure For Subject Matter Eligibility Analysis Of Claims Reciting Or Involving Laws Of Nature/Natural Principles, Natural Phenomena, And/Or Natural Products“ were released in March 2014. The March guidelines sought to implement […] Continue Reading →
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 →