Written by Mark Terry. Navigating the complexities of the U.S. patent system can be daunting, particularly for first-time inventors and small businesses. Recognizing this, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) introduced the First-Time Filer Expedited Examination Pilot Program,…
Written by Mark Terry Patents grant you the right to exclude others from making, using, selling or importing a patented product or process. Without a patent, others can typically use your ideas and monetize them without any recourse. Patents can…
Written by Mark Terry It is often the case that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will issue a 35 U.S.C. § 103 obviousness rejection based on what an Examiner believes is material that is known to a person of ordinary…
Written by Mark Terry I came upon a super interesting Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) decision issued today. I found the Smucker v. Mack-Ray case interesting for both educational and entertainment reasons. The decision involves the effect an infringement action may have…
Written by Mark Terry Terms of degree – such as “easily,” “readily,” and “aesthetically pleasing” – can be subjective and therefore problematic when used as claim language. But the recent Federal Circuit decision of Hearing Components, Inc. v. Shure Inc., 600…
Written by Mark Terry Today the Court of the Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a decision that plainly answers the question of who is a person of ordinary skill in the art – Extreme Networks v. Enterasys Networks (Fed. Cir.…
Written by Mark Terry Another recent decision by the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) overturned a rejection by a patent examiner who attempted a 35 U.S.C. §112 rejection of a biotechnology invention that discloses a method for killing…
Written by Mark Terry Once again the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) reversed a rejection by an overzealous patent examiner who failed to adequately connect the proverbial dots between prior patents in an attempt to disqualify a patent…
Written by Mark Terry In it’s first decision of the day this sleepy Monday morning, the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) rejected a novel “market forces” argument in favor of a Patent Examiner’s 35 U.S.C. 103 obviousness rejection.…
Written by Mark Terry In the last decision of this past Thursday, the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) reiterated the rule that attorney argument is not enough to meet certain burdens in course of patent prosecution. As a Board Certified patent…
