invention - Beem Patent Law

History, Intellectual Property (IP), invention, Patents, Technology

Invention, Reinvention, and Patents

Among other events that occurred on this date in history, U.S. Patent 942,699, directed to the first synthetic plastic, Bakelite, was granted to inventor Leo Baekeland. According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Baekeland was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1978. When the Bakelite patent issued in 1909, the world seemed to […]

By : beemlaw Dec 7, 2018 No Comment

Ethics, Intellectual Property (IP), International, invention, Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Technology, Trademarks

Marching Orders

Business—at least as waged between competitors—is war. That observation was made in 1832 by Prussian General Carl von Clausewitz in his magnum opus, On War, based on his service in the Napoleonic Wars. We see this in the field of intellectual property (IP) rights. What is a patent, if not a competitive advantage, the legal […]

By : beemlaw Jan 12, 2018 No Comment

Information technology (IT), invention, Patent Prosecution, Patents, Technology, Trademarks

Real inventions are not on Shark Tank

On Tuesday evening, I went to a “shark tank” event at TechNexus in Chicago. Thanks to my friend and colleague Nancy Fallon-Houle, the startup business lawyer, for inviting me. Here’s what I’ve learned about inventions and Shark Tank. If you’d like to know more about how to profit from your inventions, this article is for you.

By : beemlaw Feb 27, 2017 No Comment

Appeals, Business law, Federal Circuit, History, Infringement, invention, Litigation, Patents, Technology, Validity

Triumph of Genius

If you’re an inventor, engineer, or programmer—if you’re an entrepreneur, owner, or prime mover in a business—if you use technology to make better products for your customers— Here’s a toast to you! More than a toast, my gift to you today is

By : beemlaw Dec 23, 2016 No Comment

Business law, General Counsel, Information technology (IT), invention, Litigation, Patents, Technology

Of patents and prizes, or are your engineers smart enough to invent?

Let’s say you own a business that makes something, whether it’s a software product or a hardware device. Your success depends on filling your customers’ needs better than anyone else. You innovate to make your products better, faster, cheaper. You solve your customers’ problems. That’s what your engineers and coders do. But you’re stuck on […]

By : beemlaw Dec 16, 2016 No Comment

Constitutional Law, General Counsel, Information technology (IT), International, invention, Patent Prosecution, Patents, Technology

Patent Incentives, Innovation and Profits

“We’ve run out of big ideas,” the Wall Street Journal wails. The voice of Corporate America paints a bleak picture without offering any path forward. In this article, I will provide a simple formula for innovation, market leadership, sales and profits.

By : beemlaw Dec 14, 2016 No Comment

Claim Construction, Constitutional Law, invention, Patent Prosecution, Presidents, Technology

3 criteria for @realDonaldTrump for new Director of Patent Office

The President-Elect @realDonaldTrump and his transition team @transition2017 are working on appointments to his new Cabinet. One of the chairs is reserved for the new Secretary of Commerce. Following close on Commerce’s heels will be appointment of a new Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO […]

By : beemlaw Nov 23, 2016 No Comment

Appeals, Bar Associations, Claim Construction, Copyright, Federal Circuit, History, Information technology (IT), International, invention, Licensing, Patent Prosecution, Patents, Supreme Court, Technology, Validity

The Crisis in Software Patents

There is an international crisis in software patents. The critical, unanswered question is this: When are software inventions eligible for patent? Billions in corporate assets are

By : beemlaw Nov 16, 2016 No Comment

International, invention, Technology

Chicago—Home of the Cubs, Hotbed of Innovation

It’s tempting to segment and isolate innovation, on one hand, from the drama of life, as evidenced in sports, the arts, business, and other fields of activity. Tempting, but wrong. If you think of “intellectual property” as jars of gray matter on a shelf—that was the image that immediately came to my mind when I first […]

By : beemlaw Nov 3, 2016 No Comment

General Counsel, invention, Patent Prosecution, Patents, Technology

3 steps to patent success

In the last six weeks, as in the last four decades, I have attended intellectual property (IP) and patent litigation conferences across the country and around the world. Many advanced topics for IP/patent lawyers are discussed in detail at these conferences. I often present on such topics myself. But as in many fields, it’s the basics that

By : beemlaw Oct 31, 2016 No Comment

Category: invention