In an Official Gazette Notice signed by USPTO Director John A. Squires, the USPTO has established a new pre-order procedure in ex parte reexamination proceedings, effective for all reexamination requests filed on or after April 5, 2026. Patent owners are now permitted to formally weigh in before the USPTO decides whether a reexamination request raises a Substantial New Question of patentability (SNQ) under 35 U.S.C. § 303(a)—the threshold that must be met before reexamination can be ordered.

This year marks the American semiquincentennial, a celebration of 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. If you have received a patent or trademark registration this year, you may have noticed something new on the paperwork.

Recent USPTO decisions denying ex parte reexamination requests reveal a significant shift in how the agency views the relationship between IPR proceedings and reexamination paths. Third-party challengers who previously filed unsuccessful IPR petitions are now finding their subsequent ex parte reexamination requests denied when they rely on substantially similar prior art arguments.

On April 6, 2026, the Artemis II crew swung around the far side of the moon, shattered the Apollo 13 distance record by traveling nearly 253,000 miles from home, and enjoyed front-row...

Tesla pioneered using massive sheets of automotive glass to open up the passenger cabin when it launched the Model S in 2012. However, if you've ever sat in a Tesla on a summer afternoon, you’ve probably been baked...

The Northern District of California recently rendered two decisions in rapid succession concerning the legality of using copyrighted works to train artificial intelligence large language models ("LLM").

In a flurry of activity, the USPTO Director John Squires has updated the procedures for instituting America Invents Act (AIA) trials (including inter partes reviews (IPRs) and post-grant reviews (PGRs))...

Although another year has passed without the implementation of a comprehensive overarching federal privacy law in the United States, more states continued to enact their own privacy legislation or amend...

The Federal Circuit addressed the construction of functional claim limitations in In re Blue Buffalo Enters., Inc., No. 2024-1611, 2026 U.S. App. LEXIS 872 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 14, 2026) (nonprecedential).

Through a trio of recent actions, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has provided applicants and examiners with guidance on subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently affirmed a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ("Board") decision confirming the Examining Attorney's refusal to register the mark...

The holiday season brings people together to decorate their homes, exchange gifts, and gather with family and friends.

In Apex Bank v. CC Serve Corp., No. 2023-2143 (Fed. Cir. Sep. 25, 2025), the Federal Circuit affirmed-in-part, vacated-in-part, and remanded the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB)...

In Fintiv Inc. v. Paypal Holdings, Inc., Appeal No. 2023-2312 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 30, 2025), the Federal Circuit indicated that black box recitation of structure may operate as a substitute...

On March 13, 2026, the USPTO supplemented its guidance for the examination of design patent applications related to computer-generated interfaces and icons.

The Portland Pickles are a collegiate wood bat team in Portland, Oregon, and have recently gained popularity on social media and from their recent documentary, "Pickles, pickles, pickles" on the Major League Baseball Network.

Since it was announced that Philadelphia would be home to a WNBA franchise team in 2030, fans have begun suggesting names.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has initiated a new PCT Informed Examination Request (PIER) Pilot Program. The PIER Pilot Program relates only to national stage applications filed..

Allbirds, once celebrated for its sustainable Wool Runner sneakers, underwent a dramatic transformation from footwear innovator to AI infrastructure provider. This evolution raises critical questions about how...

Major League Baseball's All-Star Game logos and branding represent a sophisticated trademark strategy that extends far beyond the field. From specially designed annual logos featuring location-specific graphics to protected acronyms and classic baseball phrases, MLB demonstrates how comprehensive intellectual property protection creates valuable assets across merchandise, broadcasting, and brand identity.