Checking in for the New Year
So here we are in 2021. This is not the typical new year. The past year has not been an easy one. It has taken a toll on all of us, and likely will continue to do so for some time to come. Even [...]
Game on – Here we are in 2019!
The ball drops and if we are still awake and not watching the actual event in Times Square, but a replay 3 hours later here in San Francisco, it is now 2019. Another year for new challenges, new goals and new plans. I like the [...]
Potholes and Landmines
It is not unusual for me to hear a startup inquire about a freedom-to-operate (FTO) search. Often, the requesting company is in its nascent stages. I don’t discourage the idea of keeping a good view of the competition and path to market. However, it is [...]
The Pivot
Listening to a podcast in my ever-growing queue this week, I heard an interview with the CEO of Segment, a tech company that provides a platform for communicating data to a variety of analytic tools. The part of the story that caught my attention came [...]
Save That Date!
What’s in a priority date? You might look on the face of a patent and see a filing date. It might also have a list of priority documents such as an earlier filed PCT or provisional application. So, is it that simple? In a word [...]
Making Some Space
I started doing the Headspace meditation app last fall. One recent practice struck me as I was thinking about the journeys entrepreneurs take to start up a company - making some space between yourself and your thoughts and emotions. This mental distance has its place in [...]
A Road Block for CompanieBee?
“But we do it better” exclaimed Jan. “How is it possible that the Jackson lab can have a patent on this?” Jan was looking quite perturbed. She had been searching Google patents and had unintentionally come across a newly published application. It was related to [...]
What the Beatles Can Tell Us About IP Strategy
I recently gave a talk for the UC Davis Venture Catalyst program using the titles and lyrics of Beatles songs to point out some guiding points for an IP strategy. This blog is an abbreviated summary of my talk. Revolution "You say you want a [...]
Parallels of Music, Innovation and IP
A week of music at the Spoleto festival in Charleston South Carolina, a yearly tradition where I am immersed in classical music and jazz of all sorts from baroque to 21st century experimental pieces. After a few days of listening, I have been musing on [...]
Watch your language!
Probably not the language your parents warned you about, but certain trigger words may land your patent claims in hot water. On April 19, 2018, the USPTO issued a memorandum on examination procedure following the Federal Circuit’s decision in Berkheimer v. HP Inc., 881F.3d1360 (Fed. Cir. [...]