The world of patent law is all abuzz over the America Invents Act. If you need to brush up on what the AIA is about (whether you’re preparing for the Patent Bar exam or you’re a patent practitioner, an inventor, small business owner, or an entrepreneur) here are the top 25 must read articles for you.
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The Basics of the AIA
Here we’ve got a list of the official resources for learning about the AIA. These include the USPTO, the White House, and GovTrack. The USPTO has several different sections on their site providing details for the rule changes so we’ve paid special attention to that.
Leahy-Smith America Invents Act Implementation If you want to go straight to the source, you can visit the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act Implementation page on the USPTO website. They have links to webcasts and other news on the AIA updates.
White House | Patent Reform: Celebrating the One Year Anniversary of the America Invents Act The official White House introduction of the AIA can be found in the link above. The article outlines the goals of the Act as well as provides a short video featuring a discussion by entrepreneurs.
GovTrack | H.R. 1249 (112th): Leahy-Smith America Invents Act View the official bill online and/or download it in PDF format along with a summary.
USPTO | AIA Informational Videos This page includes links to several videos and webinars on the AIA including a few with USPTO officials, the White House, and some official training.
USPTO | AIA Frequently Asked Questions This helpful page offers links to frequently asked questions on the Act. The questions are broken down by section spanning the major areas impacted by the law. You can get good details and answers to your questions by reviewing these pages. There is also a page where the USPTO explains how to submit your comments on the AIA.
USPTO | Patents Examination This reference page provides information about AIA provisions that impact patent examination and supplemental examination. You can find helpful PDF files in addition to links to the FAQ’s pages above. It’s organized by section spanning the major areas impacted by the law.
USPTO | Inter Partes Disputes This web page includes links to PDF files and provides summaries on Inter Partes disputes as impacted by the AIA provisions. Inter Partes disputes include inter partes review, post-grant review, the transitional post-grant review for covered business method patents, and derivations.
USPTO | Fees and Budgetary Issues Learn how the AIA impacts fees to be paid to the USPTO. The web page includes summaries and links to dozens of PDF files and resources on the USPTO website.
AIA Summaries
You may not have time to review the America Invents Act in all its detail, so here are the best summaries we’ve found to help get you up to speed quickly.
Todd L. Juneau | The America Invents Act as of Sept. 2012 – Patent Law Changes Summary Powerpoint slideshow that boasts it’s the most concise, easy to understand summary of the AIA changes. The changes are ordered from 1 to 24 and although it’s a quick read, it’s packed full of solid information on the AIA.
National Law Review | Summary of the America Invents Act Nice written summary of the AIA that provides a general overview of the major changes. It’s a short read that will help get you up-to-speed on the basics.
Fish & Richardson | Seminars, Events & Webinars Very nice presentations covering post-grant proceedings. Part I delves into the Inter Partes Review and Covered Business Method Patents – the First Five Months. Part II covers the Inter Partes Review and Supplemental Examination – Recent Developments. You can view the powerpoint presentation in PDF format and listen to the webinar.
AIPLA | Summary of the America Invents Act Nice, quick summary of the AIA in outline form. It’s very easy to understand and refer to at a glance if you need help seeing an overview of what the Act entails.
First Inventor to File Provisions
One of the major provisions of the AIA will change the patent system from a first to invent system to a first to file. This will have profound impacts on inventorship in the U.S. Review these articles to learn more about the AIA first to file provisions.
Patent Docs | AIA Overview: First-Inventor-to-File Provisions This in-depth article provides insights into the First to File provisions of the AIA. They break down each affected section of 35 U.S.C. 102 and how the AIA impacts it.
Fast Company | Untangling The Real Meaning Of “First-To-File” Patents This article provides a layman’s overview of what the first to file changes mean.
Workman Nydegger Intellectual Property Attorneys | Guidelines for Navigating the First-to-File Provisions of the AIA Taking Effect On March 16, 2013 The authors outline what they believe are the most important implications and considerations for transitioning to the first to file system.
JD Supra Law News | Major Patent Law Changes First-to-File Provisions – Effective March 16, 2013 They provide a 4-page PDF report that outlines the major points of the first to file provisions.
Impacts of the AIA
This next set of articles covers ideas on how the AIA may impact the patent law system and inventorship.
Tech Crunch | First-To-File Patent Law Is Imminent, But What Will It Mean? Nice article outlining the first to file changes including easy to follow tables along with a summarized discussion along with how it may impact inventors.
Impact of the AIA on Patent Litigation: Changes that May Affect Your Choice of Forum A discussion on how the America Invents Act may impact forum choices for an owner of a U.S. patent (including district court and the USITC).
PatentlyO | The Effects of the America Invents Act on Technological Disclosure Well thought out opinion piece on how the disclosure of technological information may be impacted from the AIA.
RedmondMag | Q&A: A Patent Attorney Explains How the ‘America Invents Act’ Will Affect Tech Examines how the new act will impact costs for filing a patent application, length of time for examination, and preliminary patent application filings.
Entrepreneurs, Small Business and the AIA
We’ve collected articles around the web providing a discussion of how small business and entrepreneurs may be impacted by and prepare for the changes to patent law due to the America Invents Act.
Forbes | New Patent Law Means Trouble For Tech Entrepreneurs Opinion piece on how the new Act may be undermine technology entrepreneurship.
Forbes | How Entrepreneurs Can Thrive Under the “First-Inventor-to-File” Patent System Article discusses strategies inventors should use to prepare for the new patent laws under the AIA.
America Invents Act: Hurting Startups, Helping No One Opinion piece on how the AIA may cause problems for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
White House | Entrepreneurs Applaud America Invents Act, Say It Will Create More Jobs Short video and article defending the Act and how it will help small businesses.
Venture Beat | The top 5 things companies should know about the America Invents Act Ideas for how small business can prepare for the AIA.
Those are a few of the best articles on the America Invents Act around the web. If you read all these you’ll be near to an expert on the AIA along with ideas on how it may impact inventors, small businesses, and patent law.