I haven’t written anything for external consumption in a long time unless you count the stuff I do for UnemployedProfessors.com and my Instagram captions. After last week’s US Inventor’s call, however, I was persuaded to not only write for Paul, my favorite patent frenemy, but also change my topic to this one. It has a […]
On June 12, 2024, the House IP Subcommittee held a hearing called The U.S. Intellectual Property System and the Impact of Litigation Financed by Third-Party Investors and Foreign Entities. The hearing was about third-party litigation funding (TPLF) related to patent litigation and the perceived national security risks of hidden hostile foreign funders. Some of the […]
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) effectively invalidates 84% of the patents it fully adjudicates. That fact comes directly from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) PTAB Trial Statistics FY23 End of Year Outcome. This astronomical PTAB invalidation rate has effectively shut down investment in early-stage startups, particularly in vital sectors that require […]
Inventors naturally solve problems that others have not. Tom Waugh had a successful business in Alabama, providing fittings and parts for utility poles and electrical systems. Utility poles must be strong and durable, especially tall ones with many lines. The metal utility poles that existed before Tom got involved required taking large sheets of metal […]
It used to be that a biometric sensor wouldn’t work on a moving body. A heart sensor would only work on a motionless person, like a patient in a coma. The solution that solved this problem was invented and patented by Dr. Steven LeBeouf. Dr. LeBeouf, who has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (no small […]
Gene Luoma is a prolific inventor with roughly a dozen patents. He grew up on a farm in rural Minnesota, where money was tight. If he wanted something, he often had to make it. In his teens, Gene’s muscles started to weaken. He had muscular dystrophy, and it would worsen as he grew older. But […]
I have experienced firsthand the highs of success and the lows of participating in our country’s broken patent system. “The Great Equalizer,” a documentary I had the privilege to be a part of, directed by Pritchett Cotten and led by Luke Livingston, has just won an award for “Best Direction” from the Political Film Festival. […]
For any serious problem, a solution has usually been invented to fix it. One such problem is toxic gas leaks from oil pipelines, derricks, and refineries. These leaks are usually invisible to the naked eye and contain toxic, cancer-causing gases like Ethylene. Until recently, the technology used to find these leaks was called a “sniffer.” […]
Not that long ago, replacing a heart valve required a complicated surgery. You had to have your chest opened, and your heart stopped. You had to be in pretty good shape to be allowed to receive this surgery, and even so, approximately 20% of the recipients died from the surgery. Things are quite different now […]
