As we predicted in our 2023 report, 2024 was a banner year for design rights in the U.S. and elsewhere. In last year’s report, we noted that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) agreed to consider en banc...more
1/23/2025
/ Appeals ,
CAFC ,
Canada ,
China ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Design Patent ,
EU ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Riyadh Design Law Treaty ,
Ukraine ,
USPTO ,
WIPO
On May 21, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, sitting en banc, overruled more than 40 years of precedent defining the design patent obviousness standard. The decision eliminates the Rosen-Durling test,...more
Not surprisingly, 2023 was another notable year for design rights around the globe. However, nowhere more than the U.S. did we see court decisions that will, in the case of one, and could in the case of another, have...more
2/8/2024
/ America Invents Act ,
Appeals ,
CAFC ,
Design Patent ,
EU ,
Innovation Patent ,
Innovative Technology ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Investigations ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Section 337 ,
USPTO
For the first time in over five years, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will be hearing a patent case en banc. The Court has agreed to hear LKQ Corporation v. GM Global Technology Operations LLC, which...more
Last year, in our inaugural issue of “The Year in Review,” we reported that since the landmark jury verdict in the IP litigation between Apple and Samsung in 2012, which awarded more than $1B to Apple for infringement of...more
2/21/2023
/ Anticipation ,
Appeals ,
Article of Manufacture ,
Australia ,
Chile ,
China ,
Claim Construction ,
Damages ,
Design Patent ,
EU ,
Exclusion Orders ,
Final Written Decisions ,
Foreign Patent Applications ,
India ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Jury Verdicts ,
Likelihood of Success ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Noninfringement ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Registration ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Precedential Opinion ,
Prior Art ,
Remedies ,
Reversal ,
Section 337 ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Summary Judgment ,
The Hague System ,
Trade Dress ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE) ,
USPTO
This year, we will mark the 10-year anniversary of the first jury verdict in the landmark IP litigation between Apple and Samsung, which resulted in the jury awarding more than $1B to Apple. More than $500M of that award was...more
3/2/2022
/ Anticipation ,
Appeals ,
Article of Manufacture ,
Australia ,
Cease and Desist Orders ,
China ,
Design Patent ,
EU ,
Exclusion Orders ,
Final Written Decisions ,
Foreign Patent Applications ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Korea ,
Nexus ,
Nonobvious ,
Ornamental Design ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Filings ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Registration ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Post-Grant Review ,
Precedential Opinion ,
Prior Art ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
Section 102 ,
Section 103 ,
Section 337 ,
Substantial Evidence ,
Summary Judgment ,
The Hague System ,
USPTO ,
Utility Patents ,
Vacated
In conjunction with the forthcoming release of the firm's inaugural year-in-review report, speakers will offer case summaries and analysis of particularly significant design patent updates and trends. Specifically, the...more
2/23/2022
/ Design Patent ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Prosecution ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
USPTO ,
Webinars
Two important, but sometimes overlooked issues in patent prosecution, particularly for companies with worldwide patent portfolios, are: 1) when a foreign filing license must be obtained; and 2) how to determine when an export...more
8/1/2020
/ EU ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Filing Requirements ,
Foreign Patent Applications ,
Germany ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
IP License ,
ITAR ,
Multinationals ,
Open General Export Licences (OGELs) ,
Patent Cooperation Treaty ,
Patent Portfolios ,
Patent Prosecution ,
USPTO ,
WIPO
The October 2018 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses how the USPTO determines similarity to prior-filed marks, the considerations of protecting a mark in a foreign language, and the new gTLD...more
The July 2018 issue of Sterne Kessler's The Goods on IP® discusses developments on copyright infringement lawsuit timing, prosecuting consumer product claims that include conjunctive limitations, and an update on membership...more
8/1/2018
/ Canada ,
Claim Construction ,
Consumer Product Companies ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Design Patent ,
Foreign Patent Applications ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
The Hague System ,
USPTO
The PTAB Strategies and Insights Newsletter is designed to be a valuable resource for all stakeholders in the global patent arena throughout the patent life cycle. To that end, articles will provide perspectives from both...more
1/18/2018
/ § 315(b) ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Appeals ,
Design Patent ,
Due Process ,
En Banc Review ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Non-Appealable Decisions ,
Notice Requirements ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Real Party in Interest ,
Time-Barred Claims ,
USPTO
As of January 2017, the institution rate for Patent Trial and Appeal Board trials involving design patents was 37 percent. That is significantly lower than every other technology area and makes design patents the only...more
5/25/2017
/ Biotechnology ,
Design Patent ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Examinations ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent Validity ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Post-Grant Review ,
Prior Art ,
Priority Patent Claims ,
USPTO
Intellectual property plays an important role in maintaining a competitive edge in rapidly evolving consumer product and consumer packaged goods markets. Consumers expect ongoing product improvements, and savvy companies...more
The June 2016 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to MarketTM newsletter discusses the rise in additional specimen requests from the USPTO, examines the TTAB's decision in In re Florists' Transworld Delivery, Inc., and notes...more
The May 2016 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to MarketTM newsletter discusses the April 2016 revisions to the USPTO's Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure ("TMEP") and notes currently open gTLD Sunrise Periods.
...more
The April 2016 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to MarketTM newsletter discusses (1) the evolving nature of the USPTO's U.S. Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual, and how to use this document to craft better...more
The September issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market™ newsletter discusses considerations when filing a petition under the USPTO pilot program, outlines what you should know when protecting a trademark for wearable...more
The August issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to MarketTM newsletter discusses consent agreements and how to avoid naked consent, suggests 5 steps for protecting shrinking trademarks, and provides an updated list of the Sunrise...more
You may have read here before about the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) increased focus on removing "deadwood" – registrations that remain in force, but cover marks that are not actually in use for all of the...more
On May 13, 2015, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) will begin accepting U.S. design patent applications under the Hague Agreement. This agreement allows U.S. applicants to file up to 100 designs in over 64 member...more
In This Issue:
- I Second that e-Motion: Protecting Motion Marks
- USPTO Begins Accepting International Design Applications
- Attending INTA Annual Meeting
- gTLD Sunrise Periods Now Open
- Excerpt...more
For several years now, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has been concerned about the amount of "deadwood" on the U.S. trademark Register – registrations that remain in force, but cover marks that are not actually...more
Effective January 17, 2015, the USPTO has announced a number of fee reductions for 2015, including a $50 reduction in the cost to file electronic applications ...more
The December issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to MarketTM newsletter includes news on how the USPTO is tackling its "deadwood" problem, the reduced USPTO fees for 2015, and an updated list of the Sunrise periods currently...more
Earlier this fall, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office posted its final version of Examination Guide 3-14 on the topic of Service Mark Specimens. Among other things, this guide reviews the requirements for service mark...more