If you're feeling down in the creative dumps this Halloween, there is no need to worry as we here at Juristat dove deep into the USPTO archives to round up two last-minute Halloween costume ideas for the patent-minded among us. This year you won’t be forced to venture out wearing a sheet in a disheartening attempt at portraying a generic ghost if you follow our step-by-step guide for putting together your own intellectual property-friendly witch or vampire costume. 

Innovation has always been a cornerstone of American society. With Independence Day looming just around the corner, we wanted to take some time to recognize some of our favorite patriotic patents. Whether you’re hosting a barbeque, headed out for a Fourth of July concert, or anxiously awaiting your hometown’s fireworks display, take a few minutes to join us in saluting the innovative American way by recognizing our six favorite Independence Day patents.

The America Invents Act of 2011 (AIA) established three new post-grant review proceedings to be administered by the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (PTAB): inter partes review (IPR), the transitional post-grant review for covered business method patents (CMB), and post-grant review (PGR). Upon establishment, the AIA also gave the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) broad authority to amend these proceedings. On August 20, 2015, the USPTO officially published its second set of proposed rule changes affecting these three newly established AIA post-grant review proceedings. These proposed rule changes, more broad in scope than the first set of rule changes issued in March 2015 (which largely addressed page limitations and other changes of simple scope), address more substantive issues and aim to address public comments and suggestions received specifically during the USPTO’s listening tour in April and May of 2014 as well as throughout the first several years of the new proceedings.