FEATURED
Innovation Gadfly
- June 1, 2025
196 views 11 min

Reinventing Patent Quality: A NIST-Based Program for the USPTO 

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the cornerstone of America’s innovation engine, issuing patents that fuel technological advancement and economic growth. However, perceptions of poor patent quality, driven by vague claim language, inconsistent examinations, costly litigation, and occasional bad rulings by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) or the […]

29 POSTS
Paul Morinville is Founder and Executive Director of SPARK Innovation.  SPARK Innovation strives to create an policy environment ...
FEATURED
Innovation Gadfly
- May 27, 2025
240 views 7 min

Time to Turn the US Rejection Office Back into the US Patent Office – Part 2

Analyzing the US Rejection Office Given the USPTO’s pro-rejection tendencies introduced in Part 1 of this series, one might expect the agency would function like a well-oiled machine to properly reject claims in a smooth and efficient fashion. MPEP guidance on how to examine and reject claims is extensive, straightforward and reasonable. Examples include: MPEP […]

0 POSTS

Julie Burke has a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of London College of Science, Technology, a ...

FEATURED
Innovation Gadfly
- April 18, 2025
614 views 7 min

Why Patent Reform Is Urgent: How China Exploits U.S. Disclosures and Undermines 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 that a shift had occurred emerged in 2018 when it was reported that China accounted for 48% of global Artificial Intelligence (AI) startup funding in 2017, surpassing the U.S., which held […]

29 POSTS
Paul Morinville is Founder and Executive Director of SPARK Innovation.  SPARK Innovation strives to create an policy environment ...
FEATURED
Innovation Gadfly
- February 9, 2025
1,418 views 9 min

Our Unhealthy Patent System in the US

With Robert Kennedy, Jr. making the rounds in Congress for his confirmation, many institutions do not like what he has to say about the American food industry, the ag industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the fast-food industry, and more. President Trump has stated that the health of our nation is something that must be addressed, and […]

-12 POSTS
Raymond Van Dyke is an IP/Patent Attorney and Educator. In his practice, he helps a variety of clients in their IP matters. He spe ...
FEATURED
Innovation Gadfly
- December 9, 2024
1,927 views 11 min

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 […]

29 POSTS
Paul Morinville is Founder and Executive Director of SPARK Innovation.  SPARK Innovation strives to create an policy environment ...
FEATURED
Innovation Gadfly
- September 10, 2024
3,192 views 13 min

The RESTORE Act Fails; Codifies the Effects of eBay

The U.S. Constitution constructs a patent as nothing but an “exclusive Right,” the very essence of a private property right. As such, for two centuries preceding 2006, over 90% of patent owners who won patent infringement cases were awarded injunctive relief. Infringers knew ahead of time that the courts would stop their infringement, which could […]

29 POSTS
Paul Morinville is Founder and Executive Director of SPARK Innovation.  SPARK Innovation strives to create an policy environment ...
FEATURED
Innovation Gadfly
- July 31, 2024
1,704 views 10 min

Rep. Darrell Issa Proposes Legislation Harmful to Startups and Inventors

Rep. Darrell Issa, the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s IP Subcommittee, recently introduced draft legislation titled the Litigation Transparency Act of 2024 (LTA).  Issa knows this legislation is bad for inventors and startups because it was explained clearly to him in a hearing in his IP Subcommittee. You can read more about this hearing […]

29 POSTS
Paul Morinville is Founder and Executive Director of SPARK Innovation.  SPARK Innovation strives to create an policy environment ...
FEATURED
Innovation Gadfly
- July 3, 2024
1,338 views 5 min

The Foundation of Innovation: Why Was Patent Protection Enshrined in the US Constitution?

patent protection constitution

In the intricate framework of America’s founding documents, patent protection holds a specific and distinct place, reflecting the wise foresight of the founding fathers of our great country. The prominence of patent protection in the US Constitution was no afterthought; on the contrary, it emerged as a pivotal instrument to foster innovation, promote progress, and […]

-12 POSTS
Andre' DiMino is a technology business executive with an extensive engineering and science background in the design, development, ...
FEATURED
Innovation Gadfly
- June 18, 2024
1,136 views 16 min

Why Third-Party Litigation Funding Is A Misguided Focus

third party litigation funding tplf misguided

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 […]

29 POSTS
Paul Morinville is Founder and Executive Director of SPARK Innovation.  SPARK Innovation strives to create an policy environment ...