Firm News

Supreme Court Outlook: Nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s IP Record

»»With multiple IP issues percolating in the lower courts, there will likely be many federal issues decided in the coming years. With the passing of Justice Ginsberg, Amy Coney Barrett stands as the nominee to inherit those votes and a staunch textualist. Here are the some of the most recent Barrett decisions on intellectual property […]

Maier & Maier Secures Sale for Client After Successfully Prosecuting Portfolio of Patents

»»Maier & Maier has officially secured a deal for its clients on a patent portfolio in the gas-flow technology field. Maier & Maier successfully prosecuted the patent portfolio on behalf of the inventor. With the demonstrated high quality of Maier & Maier’s drafting and prosecution, the inventions drew interest from the purchaser. Maier & Maier […]

USPTO Announces Final Fee Schedule Update

»»The USPTO is set to implement changes to its Fee Schedule on October 2, 2020. Per the USPTO announcement, this update is “necessary to adjust to increasing costs and to provide necessary resources for Patent operations, including implementing the USPTO 2018-2022 Strategic Plan.”  The changes include an approximate 5% increase of fees across the board. […]

USPTO Issues IPR Guidance On § 311(b) Prior Art

»»On August 18, 2020, the USPTO issued guidance on § 311(b)’s institution requirement that IPR’s may only be petitioned “on the basis of prior art constisting of patents or printed publications” and how this applies to statements of the applicant in the specification. The use of statements like these is referred to as ‘Applicant-Admitted Prior […]

Federal Circuit Overturns Pre-Suit Damage Award Against NetScout

»»On July 22, the Federal Circuit ruled that marking requirements for pre-suit damages cannot be satisfied based on defendant’s infringement of a related method claim in Packet Intelligence LLC v. NetScout Systems, Inc. In the case, Packet Intelligence sued NetScout Systems for patent infringement in the Eastern District of Texas. The Jury found in favor […]

Federal Circuit Upholds Subject Matter Eligibility Review for Substitute Claims In IPR Proceedings

»»The Federal Circuit ruled that the PTAB May review all aspects of patentability for substitute claims in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings in Uniloc 2017 LLC v. Hulu, LLC last month. At the PTAB, Hulu petitioned for IPR on Uniloc’s patent “System and Method for Adjustable Licensing of Digital Products”.  In the course of the […]

Ongoing Pandemic Highlights Importance of S-Signatures

»»Disruption to travel, mail, and in-person meetings caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made acquiring signatures problematic and the need for inventor signatures has created a direct impact on the patent procedures for many companies.   To mitigate these issues, it is increasingly important for applicants and their counsel to understand the United States Patent […]

IAM Patent 1000 Recognizes Success of Maier & Maier Firm and Its Partners

»»The 2020 IAM Patent 1000 rankings were announced this week, and Maier & Maier was heavily featured among the highest-level experts in the patent field. Both founding partners Timothy and Christopher Maier were honored, along with renowned partner Stephen Kunin. Per the IAM description honoring the firm, “Christopher Maier and Timothy Maier run a self-titled […]

USPTO Expands COVID Response To Restore Benefit of and Right of Priority to Prior-Filed Applications

»»The USPTO has been active in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve extended deadlines for affected applicants and practitioners multiple times, established multiple pilot programs related to the virus, and taken steps to make sure they can continue operations throughout the pandemic. Now the USPTO has expanded its adjustments to allow applicants to restore benefit […]

USPTO Publishes PTAB Rule Changes For Public Comment

»»The USPTO has published proposed changes to the rules governing proceedings at the PTAB. Comments must be submitted by June 26th to be considered. A majority of the changes conform the rules with current PTAB practices already adopted, while one specific change would represent a diversion from the norm. First, the proposal would adopt the […]