Has a customer ever asked you to use construction drawings from another job? Or have you found out that another contractor was using your drawings? This can be a very frustrating situation – and [...]
This week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued final rules changing the standard used for claim construction in AIA proceedings, including inter partes reviews (IPR), [...]
European General Data Protection Regulation Affects US Businesses
In Corporate Issues, Information and Business Technology, Intellectual Property PostedMany US businesses have avoided addressing compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which took effect May 25, 2018. This is typically based on erroneous conclusions such as: [...]
Changes to Federally Funded Invention Rights & Licenses
In Intellectual Property, Risk Mitigation PostedEffective May 14, 2018, the rules implementing the Bayh-Dole Act (specifically, 37 CFR § 401 and 404) were changed in some important ways that impact patent protection of federally-funded [...]
New Forum for Trade Secret Protection
In Information and Business Technology, Intellectual Property, Risk Mitigation PostedPresident Obama recently signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act into law. The bill raises trade secret protection to a federal cause of action and attempts to create more consistent protection for [...]
Patentability of Computer-Implemented Inventions: Have We Finally Hit Bottom?
In Corporate Issues, Intellectual Property PostedRecent court decisions have severely eroded the protectability of computer-implemented inventions. These decisions essentially hold that the mere implementation of a mental or otherwise known [...]