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Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of all of us at Osha Liang, we would like to wish you the very best for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
2018 was the firm's 20th year since our founding in 1998. Now, entering our third decade, we look back with deep appreciation for the continued support we have had from friends and colleagues all over the world.
20 years ago, a small group of 13 people in Houston, Texas, founded Osha Liang. Our shared vision was to create an intellectual property boutique law firm focused on high-quality work product, superior client service, and international expertise. Today, the firm has over 120 employees in 7 locations worldwide and, in cooperation with an excellent network of associate firms, handles patent filings in virtually every country in the world.
In 2018 Osha Liang issued 789 U.S. patents and filed almost 3000 new applications. The firm's trademark and litigation practice continues to prosper, including notably a significant win and jury verdict in 2018. At the end of last year the firm established a new office in Boulder, Colorado, thus consolidating our presence in the region near the USPTO's Rocky Mountain Regional Office.
In 2018 partner Jonathan Osha was elected Reporter General of AIPPI and as a board member of AIPLA - giving the firm unique insight into IP law and policy issues both in the U.S. and internationally. In sum, we are delighted with our achievements over the last 20 years, and l
ooking forward, we are excited by the prospective opportunities our third decade will bring.
As technologies and markets evolve, so too must we. We are upgrading all of our critical software platforms in 2019 to give us the latest and most efficient technologies.
As clients look increasingly to cost predictability, we are moving progressively toward fixed fee pricing models. As patent offices around the world struggle with how to handle game-changing technologies such as IoT and artificial intelligence, we are on the forefront of analyzing and preparing for imminent change. We look forward to embracing and conquering these challenges as they arise.
We would like to express our sincere thanks for your support, guidance, and friendship over these many years. We look forward to working with you in the coming decade, and in many more to follow.
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The USPTO Issues Revised Guidance on Finding Claims Directed to a Judicial Exception
On January 7, 2019, the USPTO published a Federal Register notice (hereinafter "Revised Guidance") revising various patent examination procedures relating to subject matter eligibility. In particular, the Revised Guidance changes how examiners must analyze claims to determine if they are "directed to" a judicial exception under
Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int'l
, 134 S.Ct. 2347 (2014).
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Introduction to Prioritized and Expedited Patent Examination Procedures (Part One)
- Chapter of China -
In today's business world, companies often have to face fierce commercial competition with rapidly developing technologies. Thus, the ability to obtain patents quickly provides a clear advantage over the competition. Moreover, patents can enhance corporate value by contributing to a comprehensive patent portfolio, while also generating interest from potential investors. In this context, this issue of Osha Liang Insights and subsequent issues will provide an overview of prioritized and expedited patent examination procedures provided by China, the United States, Japan and Europe.
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The PTAB's New "Precedential Opinion Panel"
After six years of experience with AIA trial proceedings, including thousands of
inter partes
reviews (IPRs), post-grant reviews (PGRs), and covered business method reviews (CBMs), the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) recently revamped its standard operating procedures (SOPs) relating to how the PTAB assigns panels of Administrative Patent Judges to preside over these cases, and how the PTAB designates certain opinions as "precedential" or "informative."
With these revisions, the PTAB also created the "Precedential Opinion Panel" or "the POP." This article answers a few questions about what the POP is and what it does.
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FROM THE OSHA LIANG HANGZHOU
REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE
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Osha Liang and Shaanxi OEIC Successfully
H
ost Salon
Event
On December 6, 2018, the
salon event "
2018 Strategy for International Patent Portfolio
"
was held at the Shaanxi Institute of Advanced Optoelectronics Integrated Circuit Technology (
"
Shaanxi OEIC
"
). The
event,
co-hosted by Osha Liang and Shaanxi OEIC, was
supported
by Chiptronic Future Platform, Beijing Innotrack IP Law Firm, and Shaanxi Optoelectronic Integrated Industry
and
Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance. In attendance were numerous representatives from local companies
in
Xi
'
an.
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Hangzhou High-tech Zone Intellectual Property Service Industry Alliance
The inaugural meeting of the Hangzhou High-tech Zone (Binjiang) Intellectual Property Service Industry Alliance (the "Alliance") was held on November 21, 2018, and chaired by Ms. Tang Yin, the director of the Science and Technology Bureau of Hangzhou High-tech Zone (Binjiang). Osha Liang's Hangzhou Representative Office, was the only representative office of a U.S. intellectual property law firm in Zhejiang Province, invited to join the Alliance.
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DISCLAIMER: This information is being provided to you as a service to our clients and those who elected to receive mailings from our firm. The information contained herein is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. This newsletter does not create any form of attorney-client relationship with our firm or with any of our attorneys.
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