Imagine That IP Law Blog

Increasingly, public AI tools that appear to be impressive are tempting to use for research, technology development, document preparation, and general queries on a variety of consequential issues including law in general, and patents in particular.  However, submitting information to a public AI tool can result in several overlapping dangers, such as patentability problems, loss of trade secret protections, breach of confidentiality obligations, and even export-control violations. 

Below, this article outlines some of the dangers that individuals, companies, and law firm ... Read More ›

Well trained inventors are essential to building a high-quality patent portfolio that won’t blow the budget. The questions below are based on an informal poll of questions frequently asked of patent attorneys by inventors within large organizations, but they also apply to smaller companies and startups. They can form a starting point or a supplement to your inventor training.

Before reviewing the questions, inside counsel should first ask “Who trains my inventors?” and “How often?” Hopefully, the answer is not “nobody” and “never,” but even if it is, this ... Read More ›

One of the main advantages of hiring outside patent counsel is the ability to pass invention materials to a drafting attorney to prepare a patent application. This work transfer reduces the in-house counsel’s burden, freeing them to devote more of their time to strategic portfolio management rather than the minutiae of preparing an individual application.

Too frequently, however, the invention materials provided to outside counsel are incomplete. The understanding is that the drafting attorney will be able to use their engineering acumen to sort through the pieces, determine ... Read More ›