April 22nd, 2021
At CRK, we love interviewing cases with patent examiners. It is perhaps the best tool in a patent attorney’s kit for prosecuting strategic patent applications. With interviews, you can resolve issues, get agreement, and ultimately reduce the number of replies to achieve the appropriate claim […] Read More
Read MoreMarch 28th, 2020
Many U.S. legal teams have moved to remote work this month—patent prosecution teams are no different. Remote work can increase a prosecution team’s productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness. We at CRK have supported remote work from day one. With a remotely accessible docket and document management and […] Read More
Read MoreAugust 28th, 2019
When your company has a product in the marketplace and the next innovative feature is ready to be launched, IP counsel is often asked, “Do we have it patented? Are we covered?” And while covering the feature with a patent filing or two can be […] Read More
Read MoreJune 14th, 2019
The third and final day of testimony on draft legislation to reform the law of patent eligibility wrapped up Tuesday, June 11, 2019, with lawmakers acknowledging that there was more work to do but suggesting that a bill could be introduced as soon as after […] Read More
Read MoreJune 7th, 2019
Another 15 witnesses testified on June 5, 2019, before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property in the second of three days of hearings on proposed changes to sections 101 and 112 of the patent law. For section 101, the proposed changes would allow […] Read More
Read MoreJune 4th, 2019
The Senate Judiciary Committee held its first of three hearings today, June 4, 2019, on proposed amendments to sections 101 and 112 of the patent code. The proposed change would allow patentability for “any invention or discovery that provides specific and practical utility in any field […] Read More
Read MoreMarch 25th, 2019
We analyzed 53k recent patents: it takes fewer responses to get a patent when you interview the examiner on the first office action. This is a topic I’ve been excited about for a long time. At CRK we love examiner interviews. Getting the examiner on […] Read More
Read MoreMarch 2nd, 2019
Are your computer claims part of the 5% that lack the word “comprising”? The Federal Circuit tells patentees it’s not a good idea. Good claims have three parts, a preamble, a transition word, and a body. A recent Federal Circuit precedential opinion spoke directly to the […] Read More
Read MoreFebruary 29th, 2016
Write A Policy Perhaps the most important first step to handling issues with unsolicited ideas is to have an Idea Submission Policy. Without a clear written policy, it is more likely that offhand statements and actions could obligate the company. For example, something as simple […] Read More
Read MoreJanuary 2nd, 2014
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Innovation Act, “The Goodlatte” Bill, on December 5, 2013. The Senate is expected to pass the Innovation Act, or a similar bill. The Innovation Act focuses on patent litigation reform. But patent prosecution professionals should be aware of […] Read More
Read MoreApril 4th, 2012
Once a patent examiner makes a rejection of a patent application “final” the Applicant has very few options. Ordinarily, the Applicant can appeal, which is time consuming, or can file a request to reopen prosecution to present new or revised claims, which is costly. Now, […] Read More
Read MoreDecember 13th, 2011
The word “only” is one of those magic words in patent specifications and claims. The word conveys such a strong absolute that it tends to drown out other arguments. And, given the law of unintended consequences, patent drafters should have a very good reason to […] Read More
Read MoreSeptember 20th, 2011
The Federal Circuit struck down a computer readable medium (CRM), or Beauregard, claim under § 101. In Cybersource Corp. v. Retail Decisions, Inc., the court held that the CRM limitation in the claim did not make an otherwise unpatentable method patent-eligible under § 101. In […] Read More
Read MoreSeptember 15th, 2011
There aren’t any no-brainers in patent law, but the USPTO’s ePetitions system comes close. In March, the USPTO began an automated filing and decision process for eight patent-related petitions through a new system called ePetitions. Not only does ePetitions allow practitioners to file the petitions […] Read More
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