Weaponized Fairness: Big Tech’s Dirty Secret in the U.S. Patent System

There’s a nasty little game going on in the U.S. patent system—one that no one in Washington seems willing to talk about. Big Tech corporations, the same ones screaming the loudest about imaginary “patent trolls” and “bad patents”, are quietly withholding prior art from the USPTO. Then, when those patents get issued, they turn around […]

How Big Tech Used the Supreme Court to Kill Competition

In 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court handed Big Tech a loaded weapon. They called it Alice v. CLS Bank (Alice). Framed as a fix for so-called “bad patents,” the decision was pitched as a way to stop vague, overly broad ideas from getting patent protection. What it actually did was gut the patent system for […]

China’s Warm Water Port is the U.S. Supreme Court

On March 21, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court gathered for one of its Conference meetings, where the Justices quietly decide which cases to hear and which to dismiss. Their decisions rest largely on memos from clerks—young attorneys who wield enormous influence over which issues make it to the highest court in the land. One such […]

The Irony of Justice Roberts and the Reality of Rule 36 Affirmances

The American judiciary is supposed to be the last refuge for those seeking justice, a place where the rule of law reigns supreme, immune from political games and corporate influence. But in reality, it’s a rigged system, tilted in favor of powerful multinational corporations and indifferent to the struggles of startups, inventors, and everyday Americans. […]

The RESTORE Patents Act Uniquely Handicaps American Innovation

In 2007 the United States led the world in 60 out of 64 technologies critical to our economic and national security.  However, warning signs emerged when it was reported that China accounted for 48% of global Artificial Intelligence (AI) startup funding in 2017, surpassing the U.S., which held 38%.  By March 2023, China had taken […]

How Prosecution Laches and the AIPA Harms Startups

For the first 200 years of its history, the U.S. patent system safeguarded startup inventions, compelling would-be infringers to acquire startups, license patents, or develop alternative designs. This robust patent protection fueled competitive markets, enabling America to lead the world through every technological revolution, from potash processing to smartphones. To avoid the risk of disruptive […]

The RESTORE Act Damages American Innovation

The Supreme Court’s 2006 decision in eBay v MercExchange (eBay) changed two centuries of historical precedent and law by severely curtailing the availability of injunctive relief in patent cases. This decision is among the top reasons why China now leads the world in 37 of 44 technologies critical to our economic and national security. Recognizing […]

Vishal Amin and the USPTO: A Threat to American Innovation

I first met Vishal Amin in October 2013. He was Representative Lamar Smith’s senior lawyer on the House Judiciary Committee driving the Innovation Act to passage. My company had just lost its investors due to the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act’s (AIA) creation of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Back then, the PTAB was […]