US Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires is on a mission to weed out erroneously granted patents—and he's trying to "catch 'em all." The fact that he initiated a review of one of Nintendo Co.'s newest patents signals that the PTO is prioritizing public trust and consistency across global patent jurisdictions. Nintendo is suing Pocketpair, Inc. in Japan, alleging that Palworld, a competitor game nicknamed "Pokémon with guns", infringes patents tied to game mechanics, including creature [...]

On December 8th, the U.S. Supreme Court declined a  petition to review, and therefore, let stand the April 2025 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) in  Recentive Analytics, Inc. v. Fox Corp. The CAFC had held that patent claims that merely apply machine learning (a form of Artificial Intelligence or "AI") to automate tasks or analyze data—even in novel settings—risk being classified as unpatentable abstract ideas unless they disclose specific improvements [...]

Top off the eggnog, straighten the twinkle lights and clear a space between the nutcrackers and the model train set for a fresh stack of Top Section 101 Stories of the Year. It's our annual sleigh ride through Section 101. Nothing says "peace on earth" like debating mental processes over panettone. Holiday Movies. This year's rotation gets a twist: "Home Alone 2" is back in the mix, along with "The Muppet Christmas Carol." "National Lampoon's [...]