USPTO Acting Director Issues First Four Discretionary-Denial Decisions | Firm Alert
On May 16, 2025, USPTO Acting Director Stewart issued her first four discretionary-denial decisions since announcing that the Director will decide whether to discretionarily deny inter partes review and post-grant...
How New U.S. Tariffs Could Reshape Patent Litigation in the Medical Device Industry
As the U.S. imposes sweeping new tariffs on over 180 countries and territories—including a baseline 10% rate and steep increases for China (originally 145%, now reduced to 30% for 90...
National Security Startups Attract Record VC Interest as DOD Spending Surges
Venture capital firms (VCs) are increasing investments in national security startups amid a proposed record $1 trillion DOD budget, while also diversifying risk due to concerns over inflated valuations by...
Department of Defense Releases a New Intellectual Property Guidebook
The Department of Defense (the “DoD”) recently released a new comprehensive guidebook to help navigate intellectual property laws and regulations. The guidebook states: In today’s global military competition, DoD needs...
Medtech Leaders Speak Out On Impact of Global Tariffs
Some Medtech companies recently addressed the potential impact of global tariffs in their Q1 2025 earnings calls. Johnson & Johnson and Abbott were among the first to speak on the implications...
Fashion’s New Powerhouse: IP Lessons from Prada’s $1.375 Billion Versace Deal
On April 10, 2025, Italian fashion house Prada announced its acquisition of Versace from Capri Holdings for $1.375 billion, uniting two of Italy’s most iconic luxury brands. Though financial implications...
Federal Circuit Review | April 2025
April Federal Circuit Newsletter (Japanese) April Federal Circuit Newsletter (Chinese) Ready or Not, Here I Come: When Is a Trade Secret Publicly Accessible? In Ams-Osram USA Inc. v. Renesas...
German Sandals Follow the Functional Footsteps of U.S. Cheerleader Uniform Shape
In a recent decision, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice held that Birkenstock’s sandal design was not eligible for copyright protection. The court held that Birkenstock sandals did not display sufficient creativity...
Space Technology Investment – Go for Launch in 2025?
Investors have recently provided solid funding to the space technology sector, with the trend showing signs of continuing in Q1 2025. The general trend over the last half decade for...
