A Perspective on USPTO Rulemaking Following In re Chestek, by Maier & Maier partner Robert Bahr, has been published on IP Watchdog. The article discusses the notice-and-comment rulemaking procedures practiced by the USPTO and the impact of the recent Federal Circuit decision in In re Chestek. You can read the full article here. Managing IP has published an article highlighting the addition of key former government officials to three top tier firms, including Finnegan, Maier & Maier, and O’Melveny. To read the article, click here. Among the bases for patent term adjustment in section 154(b) is “appellate review by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or by a Federal court in a case in which the patent was issued under a decision in the review reversing an adverse determination of patentability” (clause (iii) of section 154(b)(1)(C)). Section 154(b)(1)(C) or the […] Maier & Maier PLLC is proud to announce its newest addition to the firm, Robert Bahr. Mr. Bahr joins Stephen Kunin as the second Maier & Maier Partner to have previously held the prestigious position of Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy at the United States Patent and Trademark Office(USPTO). Mr. Bahr enjoyed a long and […] Maier & Maier partner, Stephen Kunin, was featured in IPWatchdog.com’s post highlighting New Year wishes from top IP practitioners. Mr. Kunin’s New Year’s wish stated: “I would be pleasantly surprised and thrilled if Congress can resolve the patent subject matter eligibility problems that have been created by the Supreme Court and Federal Circuit. At this point […] In 2021, VLSI brought a patent infringement case against Intel seeking $3 billion in damages in the Western District of Texas. A jury decision found that Intel had infringed 2 of VLSI’s patents and awarded VLSI a $2.18 billion dollar settlement for said infringement. The 2 patents at issue were US Patent No. 7,523,373 “Minimum […] On November 16, 2023, the USPTO published a new final rule establishing the creation of a separate design patent bar. The final rule follows up on a notice of proposed rulemaking first published in May 2023 where the separate design patent bar was first contemplated. Currently there is only one patent bar which oversees everyone […] In order to support the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act of 2022 the USPTO announced on December 1, 2023, a new Semiconductor Technology Pilot Program for expediting the examination of patent applications for innovations that “increase semiconductor device production, reduce semiconductor manufacturing costs, and strengthen the semiconductor supply chain.” The CHIPS Act […] Ironburg Inventions LTD. v. Valve Corp., 21-2295 (Fed. Cir. 2023) This case presented the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit with an opportunity to clarify the standards for determining estoppel of invalidity grounds in inter partes review (IPR) pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2). Ironburg initially sued Valve in 2015 for infringement of their […] Earlier this year, in an opinion by Judge Lourie the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned a district court decision finding that David Howard, a representative of HIP, should be added as a joint inventor on Hormel’s U.S. Patent 9,980,498 (the ‘498 patent). The relevant independent claims, 1 and 5, describe methods of […]