Maier & Maier PLLC has been ranked as a top law firm for Patent Law in the latest U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” rankings. We are thankful for this recognition and our wonderful clients and esteemed colleagues who made this success possible. An additional filing fee for any nonprovisional utility patent application filed under 35 U.S.C. 111, including continuing applications, that are not filed in DOCX format was set to take effect on January 1, 2022. However, on November 22, 2021, the USPTO issued a final rule delaying the effective date of the new fee until January […] The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has further expanded their Track One prioritized examination program by increasing the annual limit on accepted requests. Previously, the USPTO only accepted 12,000 Track One requests per fiscal year, but this announcement increases the limit to 15,000 requests per year. Track One expedites the patent prosecution process […] Judge Alan Albright assumed the bench in September of 2018 and has quickly made the Western District of Texas a premier venue for patent litigation. 24% of all patent cases filed so far in 2021 were filed in the WDTX, up from just 3% of patent cases filed in 2018. This significant increase in filings […] Maier & Maier partner Stephen Kunin is once again recognized as a top lawyer in the Intellectual Property field. The 2022 Best Lawyers in D.C. publication has recognized Mr. Kunin for his work in Intellectual Property. Maier & Maier prides itself on the ability to provide top tier service and relevant expertise to each of […] The Maier & Maier litigation team successfully defended its client’s right to pursue trademark registration for its prominent jewelry brand, SAUER. In April 2021, Opposer Nextten Stauer filed an opposition proceeding challenging two of Amsterdam Sauer Joalheiros Ltda.’s (“Amsterdam Sauer”) trademark applications for the marks SAUER and SAUER ESTD 1941. The opposition proceeding challenged the […] The Maier & Maier litigation team scored another victory at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), securing an institution order on behalf of the Petitioner, Eve Energy Co., Ltd. (“Eve”). Despite Patent Owner Varta Microbattery GmBH’s Patent Owner Preliminary Response, the PTAB has determined that Maier & Maier, on behalf of Eve, demonstrated a […] After facing extreme uncertainty at the Federal Circuit, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s (“PTAB”) judges have avoided calamity as the Supreme Court upheld their appointment process as constitutional in Arthrex v. Smith & Nephew. In their final decision, the Court held that while their appointment was upheld, the review process for their decisions was […] The Precedential Opinion Panel (“POP”) has added more precedential and informative decisions which address key issues facing the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”). These cases provide key insight to guide practitioners before the Board to effectively represent their clients’ best interest. Precedential Opinions: 1. Sotera Wireless, Inc. v. Masimo Corporation, IPR2020-01019 In this proceeding, […] The Maier & Maier litigation team scored another victory for its clients, this time in the Southern District of Texas. District Judge Lynn Nettleton Hughes was the presiding Judge, while Maier & Maier represented Qiang Bai in the proceedings and earned the quick and favorable result. Houston-based Flexsteel Pipeline Technologies. Inc. sued Qiang Bai and […]