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Musical Instrument Patent Of The Week – Week 19 of 2013
United States Patent No: D681,716 Issue Date: May 7, 2013 Title: Digital Drum Set Inventor: Mark Izen and Craig Small Assignee: First Act Inc., Boston, MA Representative
ARZERRA better way to respond?
Prosecution history estoppel in light of Biogen v. GlaxoSmithKline On April 16, 2013, the Federal Circuit affirmed a grant of summary judgment to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in a dispute with Biogen Idec over GSK’s Arzerra® treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The case’s holding, regarding prosecution history estoppel,
Fed. Cir. Rejects Design Patent Application
On March 26, 2013, the Federal Circuit denied the attempts of a mouthwash bottle designer to claim only certain portions of a Crest mouthwash bottle in a continuation application, thus affirming the PTO’s rejection of the application. In re Owens, No. 2012-1261 (Fed. Cir. March 26, 2013). At issue was whether the continuation application
Final Rules for Third Party Submissions
On July 17, 2012, the USPTO published final rules for submitting prior art relevant to a pending patent application. Under 37 CFR 1.290, a third party may submit patents, published patent applications, or other printed publications of potential relevance to the examination of
PROTECTING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN SUPPLIER DRAWINGS AND SPECIFICATION SUBMISSIONS: “BLACK-BOXING”
Automotive OEMs are highly reluctant, or frequently flatly refuse, to accept drawings or other technical information from component suppliers if that information is marked or otherwise indicated as being confidential. This has led to instances of supplier proprietary information or designs being shared with other suppliers or blatantly
Antarctica Patent Office Celebrates Opening
Delegates met today on Ross Island, Antarctica, to officially celebrate the opening of the Antarctica Patent Office. Facing ever increasing fees and ever growing backlogs at the USPTO, applicants are turning to the Antarctica Patent Office in greater and greater numbers. The fees are low, the backlog nonexistent. Antarctica has no judicial system. There
Harness Dickey Stronger with Additional USPTO Location
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently announced that it intends to place six administrative patent judges with the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, at its Detroit, Michigan branch. This will be in addition to hiring many new patent examiners for the new USPTO location. The September 16, 2011, Leahy-Smith America
USPTO Issues Nearly A Quarter Million Patents in 2011
The USPTO issued a total of 247741 patents in 2011, more than any previous year. Of these, 224519 were utility patents. It is interesting to note that of these utility patents, 1693 were also filed in 2011, indicating that at least a small fraction (0.75%) of patents issue very expeditiously. Half of the patents that issued in 2011 were filed in
USPTO Issues 21356 Design Patents in 2011
The USPTO issued 21256 design patents in 2011, which is down slightly from 2010 (22799) continuing the downward trend since 2008 when issuances peaked at 25,565. The vast majority of design patents issue without a year of filing, although in 2011, two design patents: D635989 and D637616, both filed on June 14, 1991, issued, after pending well longer
USPTO Issues 239346 Trademark Registrations on 2011
The USPTO issued 239346 trademark registrations in 2011. The most active trademark classes are Class 9 – scientific and electronic apparatus (24,590); Class 16 – printed matter (9692); Class 25 – clothing (14,355). The most active service mark classes are Class 35 – advertising and business (26,542); Class 41 – education and entertainment