By Thomas F. Zuber and Sarah S. Brooks of Zuber & Taillieu
The Federal Circuit recently clarified several aspects of § 1920’s allowances for a prevailing party to charge its costs against the losing party. In In re Ricoh Co., Ltd., 661 F.3d 1361 (Fed. Cir. 2011), the Federal Circuit upheld the use of cost-sharing agreements over default statutory rules, allowed the… More...
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO, or “Office”)) has prepared further interim guidance for the patent examining corps to use when determining subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 in view of the recent decision by the United States Supreme Court in Bilski v. Kappos. More...
A proposal on translation arrangements for a future European Union (“EU”) Patent, the final element needed for a single EU patent system to become a reality, has been presented by the European Commission (“EC”). More...
The U.S. International Trade Commission (“USITC”) has voted to institute an investigation on possible infringement of patents on certain caskets. More...
As part of the Obama Administration’s launch of the first-ever Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement, Attorney General Eric Holder has emphasized the Department of Justice’s ongoing commitment to protecting U.S. intellectual property as central to America’s economic prosperity and public safety. More...
The U.S. International Trade Commission (“USITC”) has instituted an investigation of certain automotive vehicles and designs thereof. The products at issue in this investigation are "4x4" vehicles. More...
The U.S. International Trade Commission (“USITC”) has voted to institute an investigation of certain inkjet ink cartridges with printheads and components thereof. The products at issue in this investigation are inkjet cartridges for printers. More...
Management at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) has been working with representatives of the patent examiners union, the Patent Office Professional Association (“POPA”), to better align the performance standards for patent examiners with the USPTO’s goals for increasing quality in patent examination and reducing the backlog of pending patent applications, according to Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos. More...
The Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) is seeking public comment on a proposed new patent examination initiative that would provide applicants greater control over the speed with which their applications are examined and promote greater efficiency in the patent examination process. More...
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) is streamlining the procedure for the review of appeal briefs in ex parte reexamination proceeding appeals to increase the efficiency of the appeal process and reduce pendency of appeals. More...
The Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) today announced it would eliminate the fee for the petition to participate in Patent Prosecution Highway (“PPH”) programs. More...
