The Government Accountability Office recently released two reports making recommendations on how to improve patent quality.
Blog Posts
Alice Helps Another Company Stop a Patent Troll
by Matt Levy • • 2 Comments
Michael Skelps, the General Manager of Capstone Photography, has a piece in the Hill today. It seems that Capstone got sued by a patent troll a few years ago. Capstone, which is a small business based in Connecticut, had to lay off 60% of its staff in fighting that troll; Capstone managed to survive because…
Face Palm Watch: CAFC Says Configuring an Option per User is Patent-Eligible
by Matt Levy • • 0 Comments
Bad software patents apparently still have a few protectors on the Federal Circuit: in its recent decision in Bascom Global Internet Services, Inc. v. AT&T Mobility LLC, a Federal Circuit panel said that a patent for configuring a content filtering option per network user is patent eligible. After making a lot of progress in the…
Update: PTO Releases Case Study Topics
by Matt Levy • • 0 Comments
Following up on this post, the USPTO has released its case study topics: 1) Evaluation of the deviation of 35 U.S.C. §101 rejections from official guidance, correctness of rejections and completeness of the analysis. This study will evaluate whether examiners are properly making subject matter eligibility rejections under 35 U.S.C. §101 and clearly communicating their…
Proposed PTO Case Studies Show Common Concerns
by Matt Levy • • 4 Comments
The USPTO recently requested proposals for case studies that the Office might do in order to improve patent prosecution. There were over 100 proposals submitted from associations, companies, law firms, and individuals. There are definitely some proposals that the USPTO should use. I’m hoping that at the USPTO’s Patent Quality Community Symposium on Wednesday, some…
VirnetX Doesn’t Like Being Called a Patent Troll
by Matt Levy • • 1 Comment
VirnetX complains about being called a “patent troll.” The label, however, is the right one.
Another Good Bill Introduced, This Time on ITC Reform
by Matt Levy • • 3 Comments
A bill to make the ITC harder for patent trolls has been introduced in the House.
The Supreme Court Agrees to Review Design Patent Damages Rule
by Matt Levy • • 0 Comments
Today, the Court granted certiorari in the Apple v. Samsung case on the question of design patent damages. We filed an amicus brief in support of Samsung’s petition. The Federal Circuit interpreted design patent damages law in a disastrous way. Based on the shape of the outer case of Samsung’s phones, it said that Apple…
Tyler, TX Brags About Its “Friendliness” to Patent Trolls
by Matt Levy • • 2 Comments
A consortium of local businesses in the town of Tyler, Texas has a website to promote the town, and I have to admit I was stunned by the shamelessness of one of the pages on the site, entitled “IP Friendly”: The page goes on to tout the advantages of filing your case in Tyler: 1.…
Universities and Patent Reform
by Matt Levy • • 0 Comments
Universities are strange when it comes to patent reform.