The US Patent and Trademark Office and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) agreed to launch a new worksharing arrangement that will accelerate the process of obtaining a patent in Mexico for businesses and individuals already in possession of a corresponding US patent.

The US Patent and Trademark Office welcomes two new members to the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC): Jeremiah Chan and Tracy-Gene Durkin. Mr. Chan is the Associate General Counsel and Director, Head of Patents at Facebook. Ms. Durkin is the practice leader of the Mechanical & Design Practice Group at the law firm of Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on January 10, 2020, affirmed the invalidation of Genentech’s patent directed to methods of purifying antibodies, finding that the process of chilling a composition to below room temperature could be found both obvious and anticipated by a process that purified that composition at room temperature.

The US Patent and Trademark Office will brief users on recent examination practice and procedure guidance related to examination of ranges during its Virtual Instructor Led Training (vILT) course Examination of Ranges on February 11, 12, or 13.

The Federal Circuit on January 10, 2020, held that patent infringement claims against Japanese electric motor manufacturer Nidec Corp. were barred by a covenant not to sue, and found that the covenant was not superseded by a later agreement involving the same patent.