Patent Law Practice Center

Top 5 Patent Law Blog Posts of the Week

Today we continue our weekly installment highlighting the best of the patent blogosphere from the past week. If there are any patent blogs you think should be highlighted by our Top 5, please comment on this post and we’ll check them out!

1) IPWatchdog: Patent Filings Up Worldwide, Outpacing GDP Growth – This post discusses the new report published by WIPO that shows intellectual property filings worldwide rebounded strongly in 2010 after a considerable decline in 2009; actually, the recovery in IP filings was stronger than the overall economic recovery. The post provides growth statistics from filings all over the world, and then considers whether this increased inventive activity is sustainable in light of the overwhelming backlogs faced by Patent Offices around the world.

2) Green Patent Blog: USPTO Green Tech Pilot Program Begins Final Descent – This post reports on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announcement that its Green Technology Pilot Program would be extended for three months but “will soon draw to a close.” The program is being extended through March 30, 2012 or until 3,500 applications are accepted onto the fast track. This post provides links to more information on the issue and how to get placed on the application fast track.

3) USPTO.gov: 2011 Was Quite a Year – Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, Dave Kappos shares on his public blog about the accomplishments and milestones that occurred for IP and the USPTO in 2011. For a summary of all that occurred at the USPTO in regards to its initiatives, programs, and statistical successes this past year, this blog post from Kappos is a good place to start.

4) Foss Patents: Workarounds and Designarounds are What Steve Jobs Suggested to Google and its Device Makers – This post discussed the logistics behind patent filings and litigation, and why cases like the recent Apple v. HTC matter. According to the article, companies like Apple, “…can only keep bringing new assertions as long as their adversaries don’t win rulings that make a quick settlement on the basis of a cross-license a necessity.”

5) The IPKat: Recording a Patent Licence: Is There a Reason for Doing So? – This post explores the issue of recording  a patent license on various national registries.  The post makes contrasts and comparisons to filing trademark rights internationally to the requirements of filing patent licenses internationally, and discusses whether or not such endeavors are necessary and worthwhile.

On behalf of the Patent Law Practice Center, have a wonderfully merry holiday weekend!