Knobbe News
Sheila Swaroop Named “Patent Lawyer of the Year” at 2026 IFLR Women in Business Law Awards
IRVINE, Calif., May 29, 2026 – Knobbe Martens is pleased to share that Sheila Swaroop, Chair of Knobbe Martens’ Litigation practice, was named the “North America Patent Lawyer of the...
In Law360 Interview, Philip Nelson Discusses Subject Matter Eligibility Declarations in USPTO Patent Application Process
In the Law360 article “How Patent Eligibility Declarations Can Stave Off Rejection,” Knobbe Martens partner Philip Nelson discussed the practical impacts of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s recent update...
Dozens of Knobbe Martens Partners Recognized in 2026 IAM Patent 1000 Guide
IRVINE, Calif., May 28, 2026 – Knobbe Martens, a leading intellectual property law firm, and its partners were once again recognized for excellence across patent law in the 2026 edition...
Blogs
Access Plus Similarity Starts the Clock for Trade Secret Misappropriation Claims
Insulet Corp. v. EOFlow, Co. Ltd. Before Dyk, Prost, and Reyna. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Summary: A trade secret misappropriation claim accrues...
Medtronic to Acquire Spr Therapeutics for $650 Million
Medtronic announced its plans to acquire SPR Therapeutics, a privately held medical device company that specializes in non-opioid, non-surgical, and minimally invasive solutions for acute and chronic pain. The transaction is valued at...
The Solar IP Landscape in the U.S. and China Is Heating Up
Key Takeaway: Recent developments in the U.S. and China highlight that strong patent strategy and IP risk management are critical for companies operating in the solar supply chain. In March...
Publications
Joshua Martineau and Jarom Kesler Explore New USPTO Procedure for Ex Parte Reexamination in Law360
In a recent article published in Law360, Knobbe Martens lawyers Joshua Martineau and Jarom Kesler explore the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)’s latest guidance regarding ex parte reexamination (EPR)...
USPTO Launches PIER Pilot Program Creating New Pre-Examination Decision Point for PCT National Stage Applications
Key Takeaway: The USPTO’s new PIER Pilot Program requires applicants in selected PCT national stage applications to affirmatively decide whether to proceed with, delay, or abandon U.S. patent examination. Participation...
USPTO Director Signals Continued Pro-Patent Discretionary Denial Policy at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board
Key Takeaway: In a precedential decision in Magnolia Medical Technologies, Inc. v. Kurin, Inc., USPTO Director Squires denied IPR institution and reinforced the policy framework for discretionary denial at the...
Podcasts
Winning Strategies for IP Enforcement at the U.S. International Trade Commission
In this episode of Knobbe IP+, Knobbe Martens’ ITC Litigation Co-Chairs Jonathan Bachand and Sheila Swaroop answer some of the most asked questions about IP enforcement and Section 337 investigations...
AI and Copyright: Navigating the Legal Maze with Liz Rothman
In this episode of Knobbe IP+, Knobbe Martens partner Mark Lezama is joined by attorney and emerging technology advisor Liz Rothman to discuss the complex topic of artificial intelligence and...
Using Technology and Empowering Communities to Mitigate Wildfire Risk – The Story of FlameMapper
In the latest episode of the Knobbe IP+ podcast, Knobbe Martens partner Mauricio Uribe speaks with Shea Broussard, Oliver Curtis, and Jim Kniss, the team behind FlameMapper, an AI-based solution...
PTAB Update | April 2026
USPTO Introduces Pre-Order Papers for Patent Owners in Ex Parte Reexaminations Jarom D. Kesler & Joshua M. Martineau With the decline of inter partes review (IPR) proceedings and the significant...
Federal Circuit Review | April 2026
April Federal Circuit Newsletter (Japanese) April Federal Circuit Newsletter (Chinese) Invisible But Invalidating: Undisclosed Functionality Still Triggers On-Sale Bar In Definitive Holdings, LLC v. Powerteq LLC, Appeal No. 24-1761,...
Trademark & Brand Protection Update | April 2026
Thaler v. Perlmutter: Human Authorship Remains a Cornerstone Requirement for Copyright Registration Ian W. Gillies & Dillon A. Koch The Supreme Court denied certiorari of the D.C. Circuit’s holding that works...
Presentations
Is Your IP Ready? Navigating IP Challenges for Commercial-Stage Technologies in Due Diligence and M&A
Presenting as part of an LSI ’26 panel, Knobbe Martens partners Kregg Koch and Sabing Lee joined fellow panelists to explore the complexities of intellectual property management for commercial-stage technologies in the medtech industry, and the...
4th Annual MCLE-a-thon: How to Acquire & Enforce Non‑Traditional Marks
As part of the firm’s 4th annual MCLE‑a‑thon, Rosaleen Chou and Jacob Rosenbaum explore strategies for acquiring, protecting, and enforcing non‑traditional trademarks, including trade dress, color, sound, and other unconventional...
4th Annual MCLE-a-thon: IP in Action: Top 10 Patent, Trademark & Copyright Cases of 2025
As part of the firm’s 4th annual MCLE‑a‑thon, partners Jared Bunker and Lynda Zadra‑Symes review the most significant patent, trademark, and copyright decisions of 2025. The presentation covers key developments...
