McKool Smith principal Nick Matich spoke with World IP Review on the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recent call for comments on patent eligibility law over concerns of past decade rulings may affect future innovations negatively. The article interviewed multiple attorneys and noted that the current patent climate to be “absolutely dreadful.” Nick echoed the sentiment and pointed out that “in the past three years, the Federal Circuit had invalidated patents on a garage door opener, an electric vehicle charging station, a method of manufacturing a drive shaft, and a camera on the basis that they were all ‘abstract ideas’ under Alice.” He said, “These kinds of outcomes demonstrate the confusion and unpredictability that are damaging the US IP system and innovation. Some of the greatest damage has been in the area of medical diagnostics, where highly innovative technologies often are deemed mere ‘laws of nature’.” Read the article here.
