EBA backs plant patents in tomatoes and broccoli cases A seven-person panel of the EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal has upheld the patentability of plants and plant material in two long-awaited decisions published on March 25 By James Nurton March 31 2015
Guest post: ASIPI debates IP in agriculture During two days of work in the Paraguayan capital, the Inter American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI) gathered experts in the field. By Natalia Nogues By Managing IP Correspondent March 30 2015
Texas Judge Leonard Davis to join Fish & Richardson Judge Leonard Davis, former Chief Judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, will join Fish & Richardson in May By Michael Loney March 30 2015
Panasonic, Taylor Swift, Motorola, Intellectual Ventures, AT&T – the week in IP Panasonic opening up its internet of things patents, Taylor Swift buying two domain names, Motorola being found to infringe an Intellectual Ventures patent, and the Federal Circuit having little sympathy with AT&T mis... By Michael Loney March 28 2015
USPTO implements “quick fixes” to PTAB page limits The USPTO has revealed the first part of a three-part plan for changes to PTAB proceedings – an increase of page limits for both motions to amend and petitioner’s replies to 25 pages. It will follow this up with a sec... By Michael Loney March 27 2015
93% of IPR claims cancelled by PTAB in February final written decisions The Patent Trial and Appeal Board cancelled a far higher percentage of claims in inter partes review final written decisions during February this year than the average for all IPRs decided to date, according to Finnegan By Michael Loney March 26 2015
Judge Smith: PTAB numbers not necessarily sign of success In a spirited discussion at Georgetown University earlier this week, Judge James D Smith of the PTAB and other speakers weighed in on the state of AIA post-grant proceedings and what the future holds By Peter Leung March 26 2015
Russell Slifer revealed as USPTO deputy director Russell Slifer has been appointed deputy under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and deputy director of the USPTO By Michael Loney March 25 2015
WilmerHale adds three partners in Denver Natalie Hanlon Leh, Mary Sooter and Benjamin Fernandez have joined WilmerHale’s Denver office as members of the litigation and intellectual property departments By Michael Loney March 25 2015
Takeaways from the US Patent Forum in Silicon Valley Managing IP held the US Patent Forum in Silicon Valley this week. Here are some points of interest from the event, including discussion of the ITC tightening the scope of its jurisdiction and a defence of the right fo... By Michael Loney March 25 2015
Darrell Issa: Universities act as trolls too Speaking at Georgetown University yesterday, Congressman Darrell Issa (pictured) said that patent reform measures should not carve out exemptions for universities that behave like trolls By Peter Leung March 24 2015
How to work with the ITC Speaking at Managing IP’s US Patent Forum last week in Washington DC, Lisa Kattan of the US International Trade Commission (ITC) gave tips on how to better take advantage of the proceedings. One bit of advice – don’t ... By Peter Leung March 24 2015
EU Commissioner warns on UP fees “in no uncertain terms” Senior European Commission officials have weighed into the debate on fees for the new Unitary Patent system, saying that the concerns about the EU's competitiveness should be placed ahead of revenue considerations By Emma Barraclough March 20 2015
Michelle Lee: patent reform legislation still needed Speaking at Managing IP’s US Patent Forum yesterday, USPTO director Michelle Lee said that patent reform legislation is still necessary even after the changes from the last few years By Peter Leung March 19 2015
In-house counsel back Unitary Patent, but want more details on costs Companies are likely to use the Unitary Patent system and believe it will be good for innovation in Europe, according to a survey of in-house patent counsel conducted by Managing IP. But they overwhelmingly want more ... By James Nurton March 19 2015
Interview: Baroness Neville-Rolfe, UK IP minister In an interview with Managing IP, Baroness Neville-Rolfe discussed her planned visit to the EPO, ratification of the UPC Agreement and the launch of an IP Finance Toolkit By James Nurton March 19 2015
Use of global IP systems reaches record highs The PCT, Madrid and Hague systems all set new records in 2014, according to figures published by WIPO. The data shows that “competition has expanded beyond traditional participants”, WIPO Director General Francis Gurr... By James Nurton March 19 2015
North America Award Winners 2015 Managing IP’s annual North America awards dinner took place at the Four Seasons in Washington DC on March 18. Trophies were presented in 70 categories, recognising the best firms and individuals in the United States a... By Michael Loney March 18 2015
Free webinar: using data to reinvent IP management Can IP managers learn lessons from Moneyball? Our next webinar will examine how you can use data to reinvent your IP management By James Nurton March 18 2015
International Patent Forum: Day 2 highlights Emma Barraclough rounds up the highlights of the second day of Managing IP’s International Patent Forum 2015, held at the Waldorf Hilton in London By Emma Barraclough March 18 2015
Third IPR filed by an investment firm targeting pharma patents An inter partes review petition has been filed by Ferrum Ferro Capital, challenging a patent owned by Allergan, in a continuation of a trend of hedge funds and financiers targeting large pharmaceutical companies throu... By Michael Loney March 17 2015
BusinessEurope “seriously concerned” about Unitary Patent fee proposals BusinessEurope, the organisation that represents European industry, has sent a letter expressing concern that the recently proposed renewal fees for the Unitary Patent are much higher in the early years than anticipated By James Nurton March 13 2015
US patent litigation makes a comeback in 2015 The number of lawsuits filed in district courts is up for both January and February this year. What does this mean for the argument over patent reform? By Michael Loney March 11 2015
International Patent Forum: five highlights from day 1 The UK IP minister, the Unified Patent Court, SEPs and software patenting were among the topics being discussed at Managing IP’s annual International Patent Forum at the Waldorf Hilton in London this week By James Nurton March 11 2015
US patent litigation surges in February, driven by software cases The number of patent lawsuits being filed in 2015 so far is higher than that seen in 2014. This has been driven by a surge in software patent cases, which last month had the largest number of lawsuits filed since Apri... By Michael Loney March 10 2015
Michelle Lee confirmed as USPTO director by Senate The Senate has confirmed Michelle Lee as the director of the USPTO. She is the first woman to lead the agency By Michael Loney March 09 2015
Todd Dickinson joins Novak Druce Q Todd Dickinson, a former director of the USPTO, has joined Novak Druce Connolly Bove Quigg as partner By Michael Loney March 09 2015
EPO floats two options for Unitary Patent fees The European Patent Office has circulated two proposals regarding the setting of renewal fees for the Unitary Patent. The proposals will be discussed by the Select Committee, representing participating member states, ... By James Nurton March 09 2015
IPR filing up 64% in February compared with previous month February was a busy month for PTAB petition filing, and also included a rare reversal of a split decision from the Board as well as the first set of final written decisions on biopharmaceutical IPRs By Michael Loney March 09 2015
Bass and Spangenberg double down on IPR strategy Hedge fund manager Kyle Bass and IP Nav’s Erich Spangenberg have filed a second inter partes review petition against a patent owned by Acorda Therapeutics, as part of a strategy BIO said had “opened a new door to abus... By Michael Loney March 06 2015
Apple, Samsung, Hall & Oates, USPTO, Under Armour, patent reform – the week in IP The latest from Apple and Samsung at the Federal Circuit, Hall & Oates suing a cereal company for trade mark infringement, the USPTO’s Silicon Valley office costing three times more than expected, Under Armour suing A... By Michael Loney March 06 2015
Senator Coons throws “legislative grenade” at PTAB proceedings The introduction of the STRONG Act suggests getting any patent reform passed in the US this year will be very tricky. The bill also proposes radical and worrying reforms of the PTAB By Michael Loney March 05 2015
Pro-patent bill introduced in US Senate The STRONG Patents Act has been introduced in the Senate, including provisions that would overhaul PTAB proceedings. It has support from the Association of American Universities and BIO but critics labelled it “a pate... By Michael Loney March 04 2015
Harness Dickey opens Dallas office with hires from Dentons Intellectual property law firm Harness Dickey has opened a Dallas office, with principals Gerald Welch and Darin Deaver By Michael Loney March 03 2015
Jeffrey Lewis joins Fried Frank Jeffrey Lewis has joined Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson as a partner in the intellectual property litigation practice in New York By Michael Loney March 03 2015
USPTO retires SAWS programme The USPTO has retired its controversial Sensitive Application Warning System (SAWS) programme, after conducting a review By Michael Loney March 03 2015
PTAB issues first written decisions on biopharmaceutical IPRs The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has invalidated a set of patents covering an enzyme replacement therapy By Michael Loney March 03 2015
