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Robert S. Katz, Nigel Fontenot, Shambhavi Patel and Camille Sauer visited elementary school students at Camp Invention at Fort Hunt Elementary in Alexandria, Va., on Aug. 4. Created by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Camp Invention is a weeklong summer enrichment program that partners with schools nationwide to reinforce the traditional school year with…

ABSTRACT IDEAS: A COMMON-SENSE DISTINCTION IN ELECTRIC POWER GROUP V. ALSTOM By Joshua Davenport and Aseet Patel While the number of decisions holding claims to be patent eligible under the two-part Alice test have been few and far between, sometimes even seemingly unfavorable decisions provide valuable insight into courts’ application of the test.1 In Electric Power Group, LLC…

The Industrial Designers Society of America features Robert S. Katz in its recent article on the Samsung v. Apple case at the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Katz served as counsel of record on the amicus brief IDSA filed in the case on June 8, 2016. According to IDSA, the brief “does not take a side…

Core77, a blog with a global audience of industrial designers, highlights Robert S. Katz’s presentation on the Samsung v. Apple case at the Industrial Designers Society of America International Conference in Detroit. Please click here to read the article, “Driving Design to Motor City: #IDSADetroit16 is #MakingThingsHappen: @IDSA International Conference draws some of the biggest names in design.”…

Banner and Witcoff is recognized in Vault’s 2017 Top 150 Under 150, an annual list that highlights the best small and midsized firms with 150 or fewer attorneys. Vault, a comprehensive resource for employer, university and internship program rankings, ratings and insight, developed the Top 150 Under 150 to provide information to students and lateral candidates…

Banner & Witcoff is recognized in IP Watchdog’s list of “Top Patent Firms for 2015.” Firms are ranked based on the total number of U.S. utility patents that issued in 2015, where the patent firms were listed on the front of the utility patents. Please click here to view the complete list.

BREXIT’S EFFECT ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY By Bradley J. Van Pelt The United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union (EU) (Brexit) will undoubtedly impact intellectual property rights in Europe. Currently, the referendum is not legally binding and has no legal force until Parliament votes to repeal the 1972 European Communities Act. Only then can the…

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has implemented a Post-Prosecution Pilot (P3) Program, which combines effective features from the Pre-Appeal and After-final Consideration Pilot (AFCP 2.0) programs and adds new features. The P3 program provides for (i) an after final response to be considered by a panel of examiners (Pre-Appeal), (ii) an after final response to include…

FULL FEDERAL CIRCUIT AFFIRMS DISTRICT COURT ON INAPPLICABILITY OF ON-SALE BAR TO MEDCO’S TRANSACTIONS By Ernest V. Linek On July 11, 2016, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a unanimous en banc decision in favor of The Medicines Company (MedCo), holding that use of a contract manufacturer’s services does not constitute an…

Banner & Witcoff welcomes patent agent Xin Li and law clerk Reilley Keane to its Washington, D.C., office. Ms. Li brings eight years of patent prosecution experience to the firm. She has a M.S. in electrical engineering from Wayne State University, M.S. of engineering, microelectronics and solid state electronics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences,…