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Dilworth IP is very excited to announce our newly formed partnership with the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute (YEI). YEI’s mission is to foster innovation at Yale by providing resources and education in the form of incubator space, seed funding, and mentoring, as well as educational programs on the legal and business considerations of entrepreneurship. This mission meshes well with Dilworth IP’s commitment to education and innovation. Seeing the great value in encouraging and mentoring students in their pursuit of entrepreneurial success, the firm has partnered with YEI to provide legal resources to its start-ups in the form of educational training, resource materials, and counseling.

While there are certainly rules of the road that must be followed, generally speaking, the current version of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) can be a cost-effective and user-friendly means for in-house counsel and small business owners to get their patents granted in multiple international jurisdictions. It hasn’t always been so in the past, and there are a few key requirements that must be met, so knowing when the highway is an option and when it’s not the best route is critical. This webinar will focus on the improvements made to the PPH through the more recent IP5 and GBBH agreements, providing a streamlined, filing framework which could potentially save patent owners tens-of-thousands of dollars in international prosecution costs per application. With several examples and some recent statistics, this introduction to the PPH will be time well spent for in-house patent counsel concerned about departmental budgets, small business owners hoping to protect their patents internationally, and outside counsel seeking ways to better advise their clients. William Reid, Partner at Dilworth IP will be presenting a free webinar entitled Filing in the Fast Lane – Leveraging the Patent Prosecution Highway to Get You from “A” to “B” Quicker (and Cheaper!) on Wednesday, September 24th from 1pm – 2pm EDT. Read more to register…

Back on March 4 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued what has turned out to be a very controversial Guidance on patent eligible subject matter. This Guidance was issued in response to several high-profile Supreme Court decisions involving questions of patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101. The USPTO has since held a public forum and meeting on the Guidance, at which Dilworth IP’s own Dr. Anthony Sabatelli was invited to present, and also invited public comment. These comments, including those submitted by Dilworth IP, have now been published on a USPTO web page devoted to the Guidance.

The rapidly changing landscape of intellectual property law makes it challenging for experts to stay current. Imagine how much more difficult it is for scientists, engineers, and business leaders, who experience IP issues indirectly and less frequently, to appreciate the law’s contours. If you’re already an IP expert, Top Ten Patent Myths will underscore or help you better understand what your in-house business and R&D colleagues or your client groups may not adequately understand about IP matters. If you’re not an IP attorney, you’ll gain a better understanding of patent law and practice, and you’ll quickly recognize when a colleague has fallen victim to one of these “top ten” common misconceptions. Dr. Jonathan Schuchardt, Partner at Dilworth IP will be presenting a free webinar entitled Top Ten Patent Myths on Wednesday, June 25th from 1pm – 2pm EDT. Click through to register for this event.

Dr. Anthony Sabatelli, Partner at Dilworth IP, has been invited by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to present his perspectives on the USPTO’s recently issued guidance memorandum for determining subject matter eligibility of claims reciting or involving laws of nature, natural phenomena, and natural products. The presentation will take place during a public forum this Friday, May 9th beginning at 1pm EDT. A webcast of the event will be broadcasted. Interested parties can view it by going to https://new.livestream.com/uspto/myriadforum.

Dr. Anthony Sabatelli, Partner at Dilworth IP will be presenting a free webinar entitled What is Patentable? Insight Into the New USPTO Guidance on Wednesday, May 21st from 1pm – 2pm EDT. Interested parties should note that Dr. Sabatelli has been invited by the USPTO to present his comments in person on this Guidance on May 9th and he will relate his impressions on that forum to webinar participants. Further details about the presentation can be found below.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host a public forum on May 9, 2014 to solicit feedback from organizations and individuals on its recent guidance memorandum for determining subject matter eligibility of claims reciting or involving laws of nature, natural phenomena, and natural products (Laws of Nature/Natural Products Guidance). The Laws of Nature/Natural Products Guidance implemented a new procedure to address changes in the law relating to subject matter eligibility in view of recent Supreme Court precedent.

Because this Guidance is an topic of importance to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, Dilworth IP plans to submit comments on the Guidance and to participate in the public forum, and encourages others to do so.

Additional information including event registration, comment submission instructions and directions can be found at http://www.uspto.gov/patents/announce/myriad-mayo.jsp and in the Federal Register Notice: https://federalregister.gov/a/2014-08759.

Dr. Anthony Sabatelli of Dilworth IP joined with Paul Pescatello, JD, PhD of CURE (Connecticut United for Research Excellence) to advocate for the Biotech Industry at the BIO 2014 Legislative Day Fly-In. They were part of a larger contingent of over 200 biotech executives and other concerned parties from across the country who converged on Washington, D.C. on April 8th and 9th for two days of advocacy and legislative briefings. While on the Hill, Drs. Sabatelli and Pescatello met with Connecticut’s Congressional Members and senior staff to discuss key issues such as NIH Funding, Medicare Part B and Part D Reimbursement, and patent litigation reform legislation. Dr. Sabatelli, who has been attending this annual event for the past several years, said “the Fly-In is a unique opportunity for those of us advocating for the Biotech Industry to educate our legislators about issues vital to the continued health of this very important industry.”

Dr. Jonathan Schuchardt of Dilworth IP will be returning to Chicago on April 10th to speak at the 49th annual (and final) Corporate Patent Seminar. Jon will be speaking on the fast evolving and increasingly confusing topic of Obviousness in light of the AIA, the Supreme Court’s KSR decision, the USPTO’s post-KSR guidelines, and several Federal Circuit decisions. This is Jon’s second presentation at CPS in as many years.

Dr. Anthony Sabatelli of Dilworth IP has been invited to join executives and other concerned parties from the Biotech Industry at the BIO Legislative Day Fly-In on April 8th and 9th for two days of advocacy and legislative briefings. A description of the event form the BIO website:

[A] great day of engaging with Members of Congress and their senior staff on the most important legislative issues facing the biotechnology industry. BIO will schedule all congressional meetings and provide attendees with a robust legislative briefing prior to their visits on Capitol Hill. Attendees meet in small groups with the congressional Members and senior staff of the attendee’s congressional delegation.

For more information about the event, please go to the event website.