William Rowland

5 days ago | mondaq.com | Andrew Koopman |William Rowland |Duane Stewart

Many patent applicants submit large Information DisclosureStatements (IDS) that contain all possible references of which theApplicant is aware. This is particularly common when several patentapplications containing related subject matter are filed. Oneobjective is to shield the Applicant from a charge of inequitableconduct for failure to submit a potentially material reference.

1 month ago | mondaq.com | William Rowland |Andrew Koopman

On April 30, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for theFederal Circuit issued another reminder about the importance ofadequate support in the specification for computer-implementedinventions. See, Fintiv, Inc. v. PayPal Holdings,Inc., No. 2023-2313. The case involved four patents: U.S. Patent Nos. 9,892,386;11,120,413; 9,208,488; and 10,438,196.

Nov 25, 2024 | mondaq.com | William Rowland

The USPTO has announced final rules for implementing its proposed fee increases. The fee increases will take effect on January 19, 2025. The final rules were shaped by public feedback regarding the proposed fees. Ultimately, as detailed in the table below, the USPTO declined to move forward with certain targeted proposals but decided to proceed with other fee changes.

May 28, 2024 | mondaq.com | William Rowland |Joshua Cohen |Brett J. Rosen

In LKQ Corp. vs. GM, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), sitting en banc, overruled the long-standing Rosen-Durling test used to assess non-obviousness of design patents under 35 U.S.C. § 103. The decision was driven by Supreme Court precedent, including KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 (2007), which favored a more flexible approach to assessing obviousness of patents.

Mar 28, 2024 | mondaq.com | William Rowland |Andrew Koopman

On March 18, 2024, the USPTO issued a memorandum on means-plus-function and step-plus-function claim limitations under 35 USC § 112(f). Although the memorandum covered several aspects of 35 USC § 112(f), this article focuses primarily on computer-implemented inventions.