In a long-awaited decision in Association for Molecular Pathology, et al. v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., et al., the U.S. Supreme Court held on June 13, 2013 that naturally-occurring, isolated genes are not patentable because they do not constitute patentable subject matter under
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Well, we thought so, but now we are not so sure. It seems that the much more is required than the business method itself in order to obtain a patent. The cases suggest that, at a minimum, novel computing features are required.
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In one of our earlier posts we discussed how to determine whether a given patent application or patent is subject to the First Inventor to File Provisions of the America Invents Act (AIA). In particular, we discussed the complexities involved in determining
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As we discussed last month, the “first inventor to file” provisions of the America Invents Act (AIA) go into effect next month on March 16. The USPTO issued its final rules for implementing the AIA last week, and a copy of the
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Clients are often surprised and perplexed at the breadth of patent claims their competitors obtain because they seem to go well beyond the descriptions and examples in their patents. In our experience, patent lawsuits typically involve situations where the accused product is
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U.S. Patent Law requires that patent claims be sufficiently definite such that one of ordinary skill in the art could ascertain their metes and bounds. Accused infringers may seek to invalidate claims under 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶ 2 if the claims
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When patent holders want to let someone know that they are infringing their patent(s), they often send what is known as a “cease and desist” letter. The letter usually mentions the patent number and the product the patent holder thinks is
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With the enactment of the America Invents Act (AIA), companies now have a wide array of tools for challenging and neutralizing patents before they become a threat. Each tool has its advantages and disadvantages, but collectively they may allow companies to head
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When I talk to lawyers who do not practice patent law, they often speak of the complexity of patent cases in terms of the scientific or technological issues involved. What many of them fail to understand is that quite apart from the
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The process of examining U.S. patent application is ex parte and does not involve third parties. The examination is based on the prior art that the applicant submits to the Patent Office and the prior art that the examiner uncovers in his
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