News

Mar 14, 2023

By: Christina E. Brule The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) launched the First-Time Filer Expedited Examination Pilot Program (“Program”) on March 9, 2023.  The Program is one of several initiatives developed by the USPTO and its Council for Inclusive Innovation (“CI2”) to promote diversity within the innovation ecosystem. Generally, under normal examination, non-provisional…

Dec 12, 2022

By: Thomas Sica Business is becoming an increasingly global venture.  With that, American businesses with trademarks in the global marketplace would be adept to enforce their intellectual property rights against infringement around the world.  In recent years, many foreign companies have been taking American-owned trademarks and using, or even registering, them on similar or identical…

Oct 21, 2022

By: Stephen P. Scuderi Generally, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) takes about 24 months to make a final decision on the approval of a patent application. Much of this time is due to the long queue that an application must get through prior to being examined by a patent examiner at the…

Sep 13, 2022

By: Jake M. Goldsmith In December, 2020 the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act (the CASE Act) was signed into law at the height of the COVID 19 pandemic. The CASE Act provided for the creation of a Copyright Claims Board (CCB) by amending Title 17 of the USC to insert Chapter 15, titled “Copyright…

May 20, 2022

By: Stephen P. Scuderi Under U.S law (i.e., 35 U.S.C. §101), patent eligible subject matter is defined as: “Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.” However,…

Apr 11, 2022

By: Thomas L. Sica Since December 18, 2021, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has accepted two new types of ex parte proceedings to be filed for trademark purposes: expungement and reexamination.  When these new proceedings were first proposed and announced, many practitioners were curious about how effective these would be in practice.  Now,…

Mar 14, 2022

By: Christina E. Brule Trademarks are an essential asset to any business.  A trademark identifies the source of the goods or services; it lets people know that you are providing the goods or services and it can set expectation levels based on your brand’s reputation.  A strong trademark can immediately distinguish you from competitors and…

Feb 15, 2022

By: Kristian E. Ziegler Artificial intelligence (AI) leverages computer science and data science to enable automated computer problem solving.  AI programs can synthesize a variety of inputs to make decisions and solve problems, and is at the forefront of technological development. One application of AI is the development of new inventions with limited human aid. …