Director Squires issued a memorandum late September on Subject Matter Eligibility Declarations (SMEDs) that continues a series of memos on the subject. Two flowcharts on when and how examiners should consider SMEDs were issued alongside the memo. The memo begins by summarizing the previous changes Direction Squires has made to USPTO policies on § 101 […] I. BACKGROUND A. Twenty-Year Patent Term: Section 532(a) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA)[1] amended 35 U.S.C. § 154 to provide that the term of a U.S. patent applied for on or after June 8, 1995 begins on its date of issue and ends on the date that is twenty years from the […] Maier & Maier PLLC is pleased to report that it has obtained victory for its client Mayflower Auto Equipments Inc. in a case involving automotive repair equipment. The case was originally filed by Demax USA Inc. in the Eastern District of Texas on February 18, 2026 (case number 4:26-cv-00177-SDJ). Demax subsequently filed a motion for […] The USPTO announced a new PCT Informed Examination Request (PIER) pilot program for 371 national stage applications. Under this pilot PIER program, the USPTO will issue a requirement for information (PIER RFI) in selected 371 applications. The USPTO will not accept requests to opt out of the PIER pilot program. The PIER RFI will require the […] Maier & Maier PLLC is proud to announce its newest addition to the firm, Adriene Hanlon. Ms. Hanlon enjoyed a long and distinguished career at the USPTO, starting as an Examiner and ending with a long tenor as an Administrative Patent Judge (APJ) at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). During her time as […] On October 17, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office posted proposed revisions to the rules of practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. See https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2025-10-17/2025-19580. Time for comment closes November 17, 2025. The Proposed Rules would change which patents are subject to inter partes review and limit the ability of patent challengers […] On Tuesday October 7, 2025, at 12 PM ET Maier & Maier Partner and former Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy at the USPTO Bob Bahr will be a commentator on a Webinar hosted by Gene Quinn of IPWatchDog to discuss pendency at the USPTO. Patent pendency at the United States Patent and Trademark Office […] Kathleen Cooney-Porter has announced her return to the USPTO to serve as a senior trademark advisor Under Secretary and Director of The United States Patent and Trademark Office. Ms. Cooney-Porter is an expert in trademark matters having previously worked both at the USPTO as a trademark examiner and senior law advisor as well as […] On June 5th, 2025, Acting Director Coke Stewart modified a previous Vidal order by announcing that sanctions cancelling claims considered not unpatentable on the merits were too harsh when no “extraordinary circumstances” existed in an Inter-Partes Review (IPR) proceeding. This is a reversal of former Director Kathi Vidal’s position that these sanctions were appropriate in […] We are pleased to announce that Maier & Maier has been awarded the USA 100 M&A Today Legal Excellence Award. The USA 100 – 2025 Awards are presented by Global Publishing Media Group (GPMG), a globally recognized publishing house based in Birmingham, UK, which honors leading firms and professionals across various industries worldwide. The […]