Let’s look back at the topics that most interested you in the past year. 

The year was defined by an ongoing pandemic, the inauguration of a new president, and a generally shaky economy. Fortunately, the IP industry has continued to grow and adjust and prepare for a future that is hard to predict.

2020 is not exactly what we expected, was it? Business has felt anything but usual. Now, at the end of the year, we have time to reflect, consider new best practices and areas of improvement, and keep our fingers crossed that 2021 will be at least a tiny bit less surprising.

With so much going on in the world during the first half of 2020 — a global pandemic, an economic recession, and widespread protest movements — developments in the intellectual property sphere have largely flown under the radar. But that does not mean 2020 has been bereft of patent news.

In early June, AstraZeneca approached rival drugmaker Gilead Sciences to discuss a potential merger. Though some doubt the feasibility of such a deal, this would be the biggest healthcare merger on record.

To maintain successful business partnerships, law firms need to regularly assess new ways to benefit their IP clients. By putting in the effort to expand client relationships, firms can better demonstrate the value of their ongoing service.

On this year’s World IP Day, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry called for a surge in green tech patenting to fight climate change. His charge follows a report that patenting for green energy technologies has slowed.

It’s the end of the year, and we at Juristat have a lot to celebrate! Along with growing our team and moving into a new office space, we launched new workflow automation solutions that generate office action responses and information disclosure statements using AI. And in the coming year, we’re rolling out a major update to our analytics product, giving clients improved access to comparison metrics, business intelligence, and custom reports for every tech center, art unit, USPC, or CPC class, and more.

Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot owner PSA Group recently announced the terms of a $48 billion merger that would create the world's fourth-largest automaker. A primary reason for the merger is to share the cost of developing electric and autonomous vehicles.

The next big technology shakeup is on its way. With a limited rollout in 2018 leading to a much more comprehensive release in 2020, 5G is here, with increased speeds, instantaneous communication, and the ability to connect just about everything.