Imagine That IP Law Blog

At times, corporate stakeholders may consider IP due diligence as slowing down business instead of creating and preserving value. However, pro-active trademark portfolio development and management can often streamline business resources, help jumpstart new brand initiatives, generate added asset valuations, and minimize downtime when expanding into new territories. This article discusses important trademark basics as well as common questions and issues in-house counsel often encounter during due diligence or IP audits.

What is a Trademark?
At a very high level, a ... Read More ›

In 2022, when asked whether an artificial intelligence could be an inventor on a patent, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit definitively answered “no.” Thaler v. Vidal, 43 F.4th 1207 (Fed. Cir. 2022). But does this mean that inventions made with AI systems are completely ineligible for patenting? In a new memo published Tuesday in the Federal Register, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) also says “no.”  “Inventorship Guidance for AI-assisted Inventions,” 89 FR 10043 (USPTO, February 13, 2024).

In Thaler v. Vidal, the ... Read More ›

When drafting method claims, a strategic patent practitioner must keep in mind whether any portion of the claim language will be interpreted by a Patent Examiner, PTAB tribunal, or Federal Circuit as conditional. Initial considerations may include whether conditional claim language will even serve the objective of protecting an invention and what types of claim terms may explicitly or implicitly invoke a conditional limitation. If claims include a conditional limitation, how might that affect an Examiner’s prior art search, and what would be required for infringement? A ... Read More ›