Friday, February 10, 2012

Tech, Advocacy Groups File Brief In PTO Case

July 29, 2008

The AARP, Computer & Communications Industry Association, Public Patent Foundation and a handful of other nonprofit and public interest groups filed a joint friend-of-the-court brief in a lawsuit involving the Patent and Trademark Office's plans to implement new rules aimed at improving patent quality and reducing abuse of the system.

The PTO's regulations, which limit applicants to filing two new continuing applications and one request for continued examination, were challenged by drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline and an independent inventor, Triantafyllos Tafas. The case is on appeal before a federal appeals court after a district judge decided not to allow the PTO to move forward.

“The patent office has a duty to protect the public interest," CCIA President Ed Black said. "It should be allowed to close procedural loopholes being exploited by some patent applicants to game the system into awarding them broad, vague patents." Read the amicus brief here.

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Juliana Gruenwald

Tech Writer

E-Mail: jgruenwald@nationaljournal.com.


Juliana Gruenwald has been covering tech and telecom issues for more than a decade for National Journal, Interactive Week, BNA and Congressional Quarterly. This is her second stint with National Journal. She was recruited by NJ in 1998 to help launch its first tech policy publication, Technology Daily. She left in 2000 to cover international tech and telecom issues for Ziff Davis Media's Interactive Week magazine. She started her career at United Press International as the wire service's first Helen Thomas Intern. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. A Minneapolis native, she misses the lakes but not the cold.


Josh Smith

Tech Reporter

E-Mail: joshsmith@nationaljournal.com.


Josh Smith covers technology policy as a staff reporter for National Journal. He previously interned at National Journal Daily, a Senate press office, and the Deseret News in Salt Lake City where he covered the state legislature, courts, and crime. In 2009 he graduated with honors from Southern Utah University after managing an award-winning student newspaper as editor-in-chief. Josh has received state, regional and national awards for his political and policy reporting, including first place in CapitolBeat’s 2009 Best of Statehouse Reporting college competition. A native of drop-dead-gorgeous Utah, Josh lives in Virginia with his wife, Amber.