Author:
Robert W. Downs
June 24, 2026
The current Director of the USPTO, John Squires, has been instrumental in making changes to how the USPTO does business, literally. Right off the bat, Director Squires clarified the USPTO policies regarding Section 101 patentability in the case of advanced technologies, including blockchain, artificial intelligence and medical diagnosis. In an "Open Letter" titled "Bringing the USPTO Back to the Future," Director Squires announced that effective October 20, 2025, he will personally determine whether to institute trial proceedings rather than delegating this function to PTAB panels. This announcement is intended to restore proper respect for the Patent Office’s examination process and the presumption of validity that issued patents deserve. It is expected that these changes will favor patent owners.<... Read more
Author:
Robert W. Downs
February 7, 2025
Personalized medicine is especially intriguing, as a problem with most drugs are the potential side effects. From a naive perspective, administering drugs may appear to be a trial and error process: take this for two weeks and come back with a follow up visit. If you have any side effects, contact me immediately. Wouldn’t it be nice if a drug had the effect it was meant to have without the possibility of side effects?<... Read more