A fast sequence of USPTO actions has reopened the door for AI and software claims. The reprieve is real but it is not permanent. Here is why patent professionals should not give up on pending AI applications this quarter.

Before the Draft: Deciding What Is Worth Patenting in the AI Era AI can draft a polished patent application in minutes. That speed assumes the harder question has already been answered: is the underlying invention actually novel and nonobvious enough to justify pursuing protection at all. That question sits upstream…

Your Prior Art, Your Rules: What's New in IQ Ideas+ 3.7 If you've ever felt like the evaluation process was fighting you on where your prior art should come from, this release is for you. IQ Ideas+ 3.7 hands that control back to you — upload it, search for it,…

For more than a decade, the answer to “we’ve been sued for patent infringement” was reflexive: file an inter partes review. The IPR was the break-glass tool of the post-AIA era — expensive, adversarial, but predictable enough to manufacture settlement leverage and, with luck, a litigation stay. That reflex has…

InnovationQ+ June 7 Release: More Precision for Litigation and Claims Research Litigation research moves fast, and the margin for missing a relevant case or claim is thin. The June 7 InnovationQ+ release adds new filtering and search tools built specifically for that pressure: more precise litigation Boolean filters, improved search…

It’s 4:47 PM on a Friday in late June 2026. The six-month statutory deadline to respond to a final Office Action expires at midnight. The response is printed, signed, and sealed in a Priority Mail Express envelope. A paralegal records the mailing label number on the cover letter, walks two…

For decades, the question of whether an invention is obvious has turned on a deceptively simple hypothetical: would a person having ordinary skill in the art (a PHOSITA) have found this invention obvious, given what was known at the time? It’s a legal fiction, but a consequential one. The PHOSITA…

Imagine spending years developing a proprietary framework. Something genuinely novel. Something you believe in enough to protect. Then imagine a federal judge looking at your trade secret claim and saying, in plain terms: you gave it away yourself. Not to a competitor. Not through careless conversation at a conference. You…

They said AI would change everything. They just didn’t say the bad guys would get there first. For every breakthrough that AI delivers to the people building it — faster research, smarter models, better tools — there’s a threat actor somewhere studying those same advances and figuring out how to…

With over $250 billion poured into AI in 2024 alone and thousands of startups chasing the same crowded market, the winners will be decided not by hype, but by who owns the intellectual property. A note before we begin: yes, we’re aware of the irony. Our name is IP.com —…

New: Notes are now part of the IQ Ideas+ workflow On March 15, 2026, we rolled out a new Notes feature inside the IQ Ideas+ workflow, designed to help teams capture the “why” behind an idea as it evolves, not just the final description. If you’ve ever revisited an invention…

How AI Is Draining the Patent Defenses That Built Billion-Dollar Moats—and What You Can Do Before Your Competitors Figure It Out Imagine spending 12 years and over $1 billion developing a gene-editing technology you believe is impenetrable. You’ve filed patents in 47 countries. Your legal team has stress-tested every claim.…

Is misleading advertising is acceptable as long as everyone makes money? That uncomfortable question sits underneath YouTube’s fake trailer controversy. In March 2025, Deadline published an investigation into a growing ecosystem of AI-assisted “concept trailers” on YouTube. These videos were designed to look like official studio releases, timed around real…

HD-Analyze Tip: Use Gradient Filters for sharper competitive analysis Why we’re spotlighting this feature We hear a consistent theme from customers doing competitive intelligence in InnovationQ+: you want the most efficient, reliable way to turn enormous data sets into accurate, actionable insights, without spending hours sifting through noise. That’s why…

On December 3, 2025, Reuters reported a significant legal development that could reshape how conversational AI companies manage and disclose user-interaction data. In a high-profile copyright case brought by The New York Times and other news organizations, a U.S. federal judge ruled that OpenAI must produce approximately 20 million ChatGPT…

A year when theory finally met consequences For years, IP and innovation conversations circled familiar questions: How should AI be trained? Who sets the rules? What breaks when systems scale faster than law? In 2025, those questions stopped being abstract. Courts issued rulings with billion-dollar implications. Governments moved from aspirational…

Meet Sarah. She’s a brilliant patent agent at a mid-sized firm, drowning in a backlog of disclosure reviews. It’s 11:30 PM on a Tuesday. Desperate for a breakthrough on a tricky mechanical engineering claim, she turns to ChatGPT. She types in the invention details. Whir. Blink. Answer. The chatbot spits…

The Growing Importance of Defensive Publishing As intellectual property landscapes become increasingly complex, companies are seeking smarter ways to protect innovation beyond traditional patents. In 2026, defensive publishing is emerging as a key strategy for innovators, startups, and corporate R&D teams. By publicly disclosing inventions, processes, or technical ideas without…

Picture a Monday morning in R&D. An engineer has a promising idea, a handful of notes, and a deadline. The fastest path seems obvious: paste the gist into a public chatbot and ask for a novelty read, some prior art, maybe even a first pass at the disclosure. Five minutes…

Context: A System Under Pressure Patent examination has long been a balancing act between speed and quality. Examiners face a constant influx of increasingly complex applications, while applicants wait years for meaningful action. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) newly launched Artificial Intelligence Search Automated Pilot (ASAP!) Program marks…

A new petition before the U.S. Supreme Court could define the future of creative ownership in the age of artificial intelligence. On October 10, 2025, computer scientist Stephen Thaler filed a petition asking the Court to review a lower court ruling that denied copyright protection to a work of art…

With increasing scale and power, AI systems’ capacity to hold, copy, and mash up and repurpose the large volumes of data with which they are trained has at now slowly become their asset and liability. Probably the most active issue facing today’s AI ethics and policy communities is the possibility…

When the government tries to claw back revenue from federally funded research, it risks choking off the very innovation pipeline it set out to create. History shows that discoveries like MRI and CRISPR only reached patients because universities were empowered—through the Bayh–Dole Act—to patent their breakthroughs and partner with industry.…

by Chris Irick, IP.com Two national AI plans, same summer—no coincidence July 2025 wasn’t just busy; it was highly choreographed. Washington rolled out America’s AI Action Plan, a sweeping blueprint to speed U.S. AI build-out and push allied standards abroad. Days later at WAIC in Shanghai, Beijing unveiled its Action…

The White House has rolled out its AI Action Plan A sweeping, 90+ point blueprint designed to accelerate U.S. AI development, cut through infrastructure red tape, and sharpen America’s competitive edge on the world stage. Tucked between the big-ticket items like R&D funding and deregulation is one provision grabbing most…

When “Good Ideas” Backfire: A Cautionary Tale In 1932, during the Great Depression, the British government thought it had a brilliant idea for generating revenue. It decided to surgically strike at the heart of their innovation engine by raising patent renewal fees to boost revenue. It seemed very logical at…

Businessman to inventor Rick Kellow didn’t start out as a famous inventor. After two decades in the mortgage industry, he found himself inspired—by family movie night, complete with spilled sodas and popcorn everywhere. He thought, “Why isn’t there a plate that can hold both my food and my drink?” Necessity…

Not all AI is built for legal and IP decision-making’s rigor. An American lawyer made headlines in 2023 for citing fictitious court cases in a court filing—cases that never occurred. The perpetrator: a chat AI that created legal precedents with impressive confidence and zero accountability. Recent news in the UK…

Echoes After Death: The Legal and Moral Debate Around AI-Recreated Voices In a recent and dramatic court trial, a victim’s voice was digitally resurrected using artificial intelligence to give a posthumous victim impact statement. The reconstructed voice—derived from samples of the victim’s voice—testified from beyond the grave. The landmark court…

Let’s be honest: the future isn’t coming—it’s already here. And most enterprises are still debating how to catch up. While AI-native companies are deploying recursive models that train and improve their own successors, traditional enterprises remain stuck—bogged down in pilot purgatory or paralyzed by procurement. But innovation isn’t waiting. The…

Jack Dorsey didn’t mince words. In a four-word tweet—“delete all IP law”—he torched conventional thinking about innovation and intellectual property. Elon Musk chimed in with a simple “I agree.” And just like that, two of tech’s most prominent disruptors opened a Pandora’s box: Is it time to burn down the…

The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape industries, and patent discovery is no exception. Among the emerging AI-driven platforms, DeepSeek is gaining attention for its ability to streamline complex search processes and improve competitive intelligence. While DeepSeek boasts powerful AI-driven search capabilities, its limitations are impossible to ignore.…

From tech giants to pharmaceutical empires, the role of competition in driving innovation has never been more critical. But what happens when a few powerful players dominate an industry? Does regulation spark creativity, or does it hold businesses back? The debate over antitrust enforcement is intensifying. While some argue that…

From the ongoing antitrust battle between the U.S. government and Google to the European Union’s crackdown on Big Tech, the conversation around monopolies is heating up. In today’s fast-paced global economy, where artificial intelligence, biotech, and green energy are at the forefront of technological advancement, the role of competition has…

As we head into 2025, several key topics and concerns related to patents and innovation are drawing attention due to their impact on industries, technology, and global policy. As industries and policymakers look toward the new year of innovation, several critical issues are shaping the global innovation landscape. These concerns…

Innovation isn’t just about groundbreaking inventions or high-tech products—it’s about creating value by doing something different. Whether it’s a new product, a streamlined process, or a fresh marketing approach, innovation can range from transformative breakthroughs to everyday improvements that make things simpler or more accessible. Despite its value, organizations often…

Intellectual property (IP) is a vital asset for any corporation, especially when it involves a groundbreaking technology that could shape the future of the industry. Crafting a strategic IP plan for a single technology requires meticulous planning, cross-functional collaboration, and a deep understanding of both legal and market landscapes. This…

In the era of fast-paced technological advancement, the integration of AI in the intellectual property (IP) lifecycle is transformative. Companies now use generative AI tools to streamline innovation, expedite the patenting process, and generate unique ideas while ensuring the confidentiality of valuable IP assets. The rise of secure, responsible AI…

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the R&D landscape in ways that go far beyond automation or data analysis—it’s becoming the brain behind innovation itself. In industries ranging from pharmaceuticals to aerospace, AI is seamlessly interwoven into complex research processes, not just speeding up tasks but driving breakthroughs that would have…

In the modern business landscape, intellectual property (IP) is one of the most valuable assets a company can possess. IP encompasses a wide range of intangible assets, including inventions, trademarks, designs, and trade secrets. Establishing a comprehensive IP strategy is crucial for protecting these assets, driving innovation, and maintaining a…

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping industries across the globe at an unprecedented pace, driving a wave of innovation and transformation. From automating routine tasks to making complex decisions, AI technologies are revolutionizing the way businesses operate, enhancing efficiency, and unlocking new opportunities. In sectors such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing,…

Intellectual Property (IP) is a cornerstone of competitive advantage and a crucial element in the innovation-driven economy. A comprehensive IP strategy not only protects a company’s intangible assets but also drives business growth and market positioning. Effective IP management requires a multidisciplinary approach that integrates innovation, marketing, human resources, procurement,…

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) stands at the forefront of transformative change, revolutionizing industries and reshaping the way we live and work. From healthcare to finance, from education to entertainment, AI’s impact is profound and far-reaching. This series of articles delves into the myriad ways AI…

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of Commerce, recently announced an interest in collecting the public’s views on the current state of the common law experimental use exception and whether legislative action should be considered to enact a statutory experimental use exception. The Experimental Use Doctrine defines…

Over the last 2 years AI has been a dominant subject of Intellectual Property, Patent, and Copyright media space, especially as resolutions to cases regarding critical copyright issues and AI inventorship abilities conclude and set new standards for how AI can be used. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into…

In May, 2024, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the launch of a new strategic plan focused on a dedicated support of inclusive innovation within organizations across the nation, connecting more Americans with resources to spur innovation and entrepreneurship. The strategy aims to grow the economy, create…

As featured by Engineering.com   Engineering leadership must embrace AI in the innovation process. Research and development (R&D) teams don’t have it easy. They are facing shrinking workforces, budgets and development times. Meanwhile, the ideas, products and solutions they provide are becoming more complex, multidisciplinary and competitive. “The traditional workflows…

As featured on Engineering.com   Navigating new inventorship guidance from the USPTO regarding generative AI. Generative AI has undoubtedly reshaped innovation landscapes, ushering in a new era of creativity and efficiency. However, with great technological advancements come intricate legal and ethical considerations, particularly in the realm of inventorship. The United…

Generative AI is a type of Artificial Intelligence machine learning with the primary goal of learning and analyzing patterns and structures of input information to “generate” – creating outputs of all varieties from written information and formulaic solutions to creative imagery, video, and other media content. A significantly simpler form…

As tech companies have invested vast amounts of money into acquiring computational resources and datasets, and hiring skilled personnel with the goal of AI development, training, and computational research, researchers in academia and the public sector have been left behind. The majority of AI development, training, and research has been…

According to a report by SuperData Research, the global gaming market was valued at $159.3 billion in 2020. This includes revenue from console games, PC games, mobile games, and e-sports. To put that in perspective, the music industry was valued at $19.1 billion in 2020, while the movie industry was…

Over the last decade, the total annual patent applications submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) each year is over 600,000 applications. The fastest patent review process time is 6-12 months if fast-tracked via Track One, with the average taking up to 22 months. With a steady…

Apple is the largest company in the world with a market capitalization of $2.99 trillion. It’s grown to such an enormous scale, acquiring startup tech, talent, professionals, and companies on its journey of growth since 1976. A pioneer of accessible technology, Apple has anchored its products, brand, and corporate direction…

Google recently released a video introducing their new AI model called Gemini, which presents the moderator’s engagement with the AI Gemini to discuss and prompt back and forth dialogue about a variety of different subjects in the video. What appears to be an organic, candid conversation about drawings, the world…

The impact of current inflation rates, the consolidation of organizations within the healthcare & pharmaceutical industries, and pharmaceutical price implications on U.S. government health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid have brought the Bayh-Dole Act back into the headlines of innovation industry news. This has led to another review of…

We are watching as a wave of artificial intelligence permeates consumer platforms everywhere. AI is having a significant impact on the patent industry, revolutionizing various aspects of the patent process. The use of AI in patented processes and products over the years has grown substantially. Machine learning is the dominant…

A gene patent is the exclusive rights to a specific sequence of DNA (a gene) given by a government to the individual, organization, or corporation that claims to have first identified the gene. Once granted a gene patent, the patent holder dictates how the gene can be used, in both…

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), chemical compounds are among the most frequently patented types of inventions. Patent filings worldwide grew by 3.6% in 2021. Trademark filing activity grew by 5.5%. Patent filings around the world exceeded 3.4 million and trademark filing activity totaled 18.1 million. According to…

Overall, the cost of corporate R&D depends on a variety of factors, including the company’s size industry, and strategic priorities. According to the Global Innovation Index 2021, total R&D spending worldwide reached approximately $2.4 trillion in 2019. The report notes that R&D spending has been increasing in recent years, with…