Search results for

The Federal Circuit was born on October 1 1982, due in large part to pressure from US patent owners looking for judicial consistency to safeguard their innovations. With the court approaching its 21st anniversary, Sam Mamudi looks at how effectively it has fulfilled its mission

The US Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit may be on a collision course after the higher forum reprimanded the lower and curtailed its powers in patent cases. James Nurton and Sam Mamudi report

Patent pooling and licensing are critical to telecom standardization. But companies still fight fiercely to protect their rights. Two of them almost came to blows in court earlier this year. Ralph Cunningham reports

It was the year of the dot-com bubble, and IP owners like everyone else were obsessed with the net. James Nurton and Tabitha Parker analyze some of 2000’s most interesting cases

On May 22 this year, the US Supreme Court decided the most eagerly-awaited patent case in many years, Festo v SMC. The case addresses a key issue for patent holders: what protection is available under the doctrine of equivalents. But was the decision as important as many people have claimed? What effect will it have for patent applicants and litigants in the US? And what impact will it have on the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Federal Circuit and district courts? MIP invited six senior IP practitioners in the US to a round table discussion, held at the Washington DC offices of Finnegan Henderson, to discuss the implications of the Festo decision, as well as other recent patent cases. James Nurton moderated the discussion

Sebago puts pressure back on politicians

Practitioners in the US and Canada face the prospect of exciting changes in the future as courts tackle fundamental issues about the limits of trade mark and copyright protection. James Nurton reports

As European politicians consider fundamental reforms to patent protection, one of the key questions they have to address is how to make the system more efficient. In particular, some critics believe Europe needs to look to the US model to improve its effectiveness. In a special MIP debate, Koos Rasser argues that the European patent system as it exists today is substantially inferior to that of the US, while Simon Mounteney says that, though not perfect, Europe offers many benefits to applicants

IP attorneys have weathered the economic downturn, but now face the prospect of a patent revolution as reforms to the PTO and criticisms of the IP system combine to transform current practices. James Nurton reports

Q Todd Dickinson and Roger L May identify 10 pitfalls that lie in wait for licensees and licensors, and examine how to draft contracts to eliminate them