Patent

While China is becoming an increasingly attractive patent filing destination for foreign companies, foreign counsels are often confused by the country’s inventive step requirement. Indeed, Chinese patent examiners often use…

More Iconic (and Patented) Toys and Games: A 2020 Update

December 25, 2020

It’s Christmastime yet again and we return to a holiday feature made popular in recent years by IPWatchdog Founder Gene Quinn: a roundup of patents covering the most iconic toys…

Presents for Patent Attorneys!

December 24, 2020

Christmastime is here again, and IPWatchdog is back with the 2020 edition of our Christmas list for patent attorneys. If you have a patent attorney in your life and you…

Europe’s Top Five (Non-Patent) IP Developments of 2020

December 23, 2020

In a previous piece, we covered the top five patent developments of the year in Europe. Here, we review some of the key cases and legislation that shaped 2020 in…

Senator Tillis Releases Draft Bill to Modernize the Digital Millennium Copyright Act

December 22, 2020

Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property released a discussion draft copyright reform bill titled the ‘Digital Copyright Act of 2021’ (the discussion…

PTAB Precedential: Two decisions against exercising discretion to deny institution made precedential

December 21, 2020

On December 17, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) designated two opinions as precedential, both decisions where the PTAB considered the so-called Fintiv factors and decided against exercising its…

Take Heed: Lessons from the Top Trade Secret Cases of 2020

December 20, 2020

Litigation, Patent

One of the uniquely fascinating aspects of trade secret disputes is that they are laced with unbridled emotions, accusations of treachery, and actors who angrily disagree over basic facts. In…

Case Study: Are the Terms ‘Antibody Derivative’ and ‘Bispecific Antibody’ Described in Dependent Claims or Specification of Antibody Patents?

December 19, 2020

Litigation, Patent

An antibody can take various forms, including the following: a monoclonal, polyclonal, mouse, human, humanized, monospecific, bispecific, glycosylated (sugar chain-modified), Fc-modified, or ADC (antibody-drug conjugate) antibody; an antibody fragment (e.g.,…

Other Barks & Bites for Friday, December 18: WIPO Report Shows Drop in Global Patent App Filings, Ninth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of RICO Claims Against Google, and CNIPA Issues First Batch of Guiding Administrative Cases

December 18, 2020