Posts
An Up and Down Year at the USPTO
By: Sam Baird, Director of Analytics at Unified Patents
From the confirmation of Kathi Vidal as Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to the Western District of Texas’...
Darrell Issa is Well-Positioned to Address Key Patent Policy Issues
In the early days of the 118th Congress, Rep. Darrell Issa, the newly-named Chairman of the House Intellectual Property Subcommittee, has an opportunity to make progress on a range of issues that are ...
Newly Released GAO Report Shows Previous Leadership’s Improper Influence on PTAB and Need for Improved Transparency
Many in the IP world suspected improper influence at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) under former Director Andrew Iancu, previously a partner at a firm with a long history of representing...
In WDTX, the Numbers Tell the Story
If there was ever any doubt that Judge Alan Albright’s courtroom in Waco, Texas was a favorable venue for patent trolls, we can now put that notion to rest. The proof is in the numbers.
For...
State Attorneys General Raise Concerns About Threats Posed by Litigation Funding
In November, I wrote about the opportunity for Congress to find common ground on transparency issues, including bringing greater transparency to the third-party litigation funding (TPLF) industry. TPL...
Even Avanci’s Supporters Don’t Defend its Litigation Funding Scheme
In July 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division issued a business review letter (BRL) addressing Avanci LLC’s proposed pool pursuant to which it would “license patent claims th...
60 Minutes Puts Spotlight on Litigation Funders
On Sunday, 60 Minutes aired a segment titled: Litigation Funding: A multibillion-dollar industry for investments in lawsuits with little oversight.
During the piece, Lesley Stahl spoke with a bus...
A few potential cases (and a percolating issue?) to watch at the ITC
On a recent episode of Ropes & Gray’s Talkin’ Trade podcast, my colleagues and I mentioned a few current developments at the International Trade Commission (ITC) that we will be watching close...
An End of Year Look at the ITC
As we close in on the end of the year, it seems like a good time to look at who exactly has been bringing cases before the International Trade Commission (ITC). The ITC’s mission includes investigat...