Filing Strategy

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PTAB Inventory Falls Below 2,000 for First Time in 20 Years — IPR Restrictions Reshape U.S. Patent Challenge Landscape

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board's pending ex parte appeals inventory has dropped to 1,866 as of March 31, 2026—falling...
English

Nearly 25% of USPTO Office Actions Now Cite Secret Prior Art — 233 Million Citation Study Quantifies Patent Law’s Structural Challenge

An empirical study of 233 million citation records from approximately 9 million U.S. granted patents reveals that roughl...
IP News

USPTO Extends ASAP! AI Pre-Examination Search Pilot Deadline to June 1 Amid Low Participation

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced on April 16, 2026, that it is extending the petition filing deadl...
IP News

USPTO Creates Pre-Order Response Procedure for Ex Parte Reexamination—Patent Owners Get 30 Days to Contest SNQ Before Order Issues

The USPTO introduced a new Pre-Order Response Procedure for ex parte reexamination effective April 1, 2026. Under an Off...
IP News

EPO 2026 Examination Guidelines Enter Force—AI Provisions, Color Drawings, PACE Changes, and New Medical Use Chapter

The European Patent Office’s 2026 Guidelines for Examination under the EPC entered into force on April 1, 2026. The revi...
Patent Updates

USPTO Launches “ASAP!” Pilot: AI-Powered Prior Art Search Enters Patent Examination

What ASAP! Means for Your Patent PracticeThe U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has launched an artificial intelli...
Company Analysis

Full Analysis of OpenAI’s 110-Patent Portfolio: A Filing Strategy That Points to Hardware

OpenAI, best known as the company behind ChatGPT, has sharply accelerated its patent activity since 2023. As of April 20…
IP News

USPTO Loosens Design Patent Requirements for Digital UIs and Icons (March 2026)

USPTO March 2026 guidance removes display panel requirements, allows 'for' claim language, and extends design patent coverage to XR interfaces.