The USPTO issued significant new supplemental guidance (Guidance) on March 13, 2026, updating its rules for design patent protection of computer-generated icons, graphical user interfaces, and projected and holographic interface designs. The Guidance addresses a set of constraints in the prior examination framework that made design patent protection for digital interfaces burdensome and narrower in scope. The Guidance is effective immediately and applies retroactively. Design patents protect the new, original, and ornamental appearance of [...]

The USPTO is expected to publish a Final Rule on March 20, 2026 that will, once effective (approximately 120 days after the date of publication), require patent applicants with at least one non-U.S.-domiciled applicant to be represented by a patent practitioner that is registered before the USPTO. The Final Rule will apply to all new applications filed on or after the effective date as well as all papers that are submitted for all pending [...]

Patent litigation is an expensive proposition and many patent owners cannot assert their rights against infringers without an investment from a third-party funder. Funders, however, take a significant risk on every case they back. To be sure, a successful litigation can earn their investors a very high return, but to get there, the initial investment is usually in the millions of dollars. To minimize their risk, funders have identified certain red flags that make [...]