Tag: USPTO
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Supreme Court to Take Gene Patents Case
The New York Times reports today the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case about the ability of inventors to patent human genes. The case involves patent claims by Myriad Genetics, a developer of molecular diagnostics in Salt Lake City, that is being challenged by a group of physicians, scientists, and professional organizations. The suit…
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Director David Kappos to Leave USPTO
The director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office David Kappos announced in an e-mail yesterday to USPTO staff that he plans to leave the agency by the end of January 2013. The news was reported late yesterday by the industry blog, IP Watchdog and confirmed independently by sources at USPTO. Kappos became USPTO director…
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U.S. Patent Awarded for Protein Therapy Delivery Technology
Medgenics Inc., a biotechnology company in Misgav, Israel and San Francisco, received a U.S. patent for its technology for the sustained delivery of therapeutic proteins to treat anemia. Patent number 8,293,463 was awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on 23 October 2012 to 11 inventors, including Andrew Pearlman, president of Medgenics Inc., and…
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Special: Patent Office Director — Software Patents Working
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) director David Kappos pushed back at complaints about software patents harming American innovation, saying the current patent system has generated “an explosion of innovation.” Kappos discussed software patents today in a speech to the progressive think tank Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. Kappos answered charges that the…
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USPTO Expands Pro Bono Patent Help to California, D.C.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is expanding pro bono legal assistance on patents in California and the District of Columbia. The America Invents Act, signed into law last year, calls for USPTO to establish regional pro bono legal help programs on patent issues. In California, USPTO will partner with the organization California Lawyers for…
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Patent Awarded for RNA Process of Inhibiting Gene Expression
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded a patent last week for the use of RNA interference to inhibit expression of a target gene in animal cells. Patent 8,283,329 was awarded on 9 October to eight inventors — including Andrew Fire and Craig Mello, winners of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine —…
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USPTO to Station Staff on Cornell New York Tech Campus
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will assign a staff member to the New York City campus of Cornell University, a technology institute being developed in partnership with Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. This USPTO staffer is expected to serve individuals and institutions in the greater New York City region. The USPTO’s Innovation and Outreach…
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USPTO Issues Inventor Verification Rules Under First-to-File
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued new procedures today to ensure the first person to file a patent application is actually the true inventor. The new rules are part of USPTO’s implementation of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA), and are scheduled to take effect on 16 March 2013. The AIA shifts the U.S.…
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Patent Awarded for Heat Resistant Polylactic Acid Polymers
Cereplast Inc., a manufacturer of bio-based plastics in El Segundo, California, received a patent for its formulation of heat-resistant polymers with polylactic acid. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued number 8,222,320 to Cereplast CEO Frederic Scheer and researcher William Kelly on 17 July 2012. Polylactic acid is a natural resin that can be formed…
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USPTO to Expand to Texas, Colorado, California
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) says it will open three new satellite offices in or around Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, and Silicon Valley, California. The three new offices will join Detroit, Michigan as satellites to USPTO’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. The Detroit office is set to open on 13 July. The Denver Post reported…