Askeladden Establishes New Committee to Challenge Low-Quality Patents
Committee of Patent Experts Will Support Askeladden’s Patent Quality Initiative to Protect Business and Promote Innovation by Challenging Patents that Should Not Have Issued
For Immediate Release:
Date: April 20, 2016
Contact: Sean Oblack, 202.649.4629
Press@patentqualityinitiative.com
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New York, NY, April 6, 2016: As part of its Patent Quality Initiative, Askeladden today announced the formation of a Patent Challenge Committee that will be responsible for ongoing efforts to challenge the validity of low-quality patents. Askeladden LLC’s Patent Quality Initiative (PQI) includes, among other things, challenging patents it believes are invalid through the Inter Partes Review (IPR) process at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The members of the committee are patent experts with decades of combined experience:
- Judge Roderick McKelvie, former judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (1992-2002);
- The Honorable Gerald Mossinghoff, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks (1981-1985); and
- John Thomas, Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center.
The announcement comes on the heels of Askeladden’s successful challenges of three patents related to loyalty rewards programs before the Patent Trials and Appeals Board (PTAB). As announced on March 15 and April 6, the PTAB found the three patents to be unpatentable. Those poor-quality patents no longer can be asserted in wasteful, expensive patent lawsuits.
“Askeladden is committed to supporting innovation by improving the quality of patents and thereby reducing the explotation of poor-quality patents to extract money from defendants through litigation.,” said Sean Reilly, General Counsel of Askeladden, L.L.C. “The experience and expertise of the Patent Challenge Committee members will bolster our efforts to improve the quality of issued patents in the financial services sector and other industries.”
“I look forward to serving as a Patent Challenge Committee member and participating in this innovative approach for addressing concerns about patent quality,” said Judge McKelvie.
“The committee will work to support the patent system by identifying poor-quality patents that hinder, rather than foster innovation and development of new technologies,” added Mr. Mossinghoff.
The Patent Challenge Committee members—all regarded as thought leaders with respect to the patent system—collectively have extensive experience working with and within the USPTO, federal district courts, the private sector and academia. The committee will decide which poor-quality patents Askeladden should challenge and will be responsible for conducting IPR proceedings challenging the validity of those patents.
Biographies of The Patent Challenge Committee Members:
Judge Roderick McKelvie – Judge McKelvie served as a judge for the United States District Court for the District of Delaware from 1992-2002, where he presided over numerous patent cases. Judge McKelvie is currently senior counsel at Covington & Burling, where he continues to focus on patent-related matters. He also teaches a course on patent enforcement at the George Washington University Law School. In addition, Judge McKelvie contributed to the development of the Federal Judicial Center’s video for jurors titled An Introduction to the Patent System. He has also worked to develop model jury instructions (District of Delaware and the National Model Patent Jury Instructions). Judge McKelvie holds a B.A. from Harvard University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Honorable Gerald Mossinghoff – Mr. Mossinghoff served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks from 1982-1985. Mr. Mossinghoff also served several terms on the statutory Patent Public Advisory Committee which was established to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property about the operation of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In 2007, Mr. Mossinghoff was inducted into the Intellectual Property Hall of Fame. He is currently senior counsel at Oblon, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, L.L.P. and teaches patent law at the George Washington University Law School. Mr. Mossinghoff holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from St. Louis University and a Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School.
Professor John Thomas – Professor Thomas is currently a professor at Georgetown Law where he teaches courses on patent law. In addition, Professor Thomas has served as a Visiting Scholar at the Congressional Research Service for the last ten years. In 2011, Professor Thomas was named the inaugural Thomas Alva Edison Visiting Scholar at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Professor Thomas also clerked for Chief Judge Helen W. Nies of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Professor Thomas has published several books relating to intellectual property law. Professor Thomas holds a B.S. in computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon, a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan, and an L.L.M from the George Washington University Law School.
About Patent Quality Initiative
Askeladden L.L.C. is an education, information and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the understanding, use and reliability of patents in financial services and other industries. As part of its Patent Quality Initiative, Askeladden strives to promote better patents and patent holder behaviors by regularly filing amicus briefs, Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs) and engaging in educational activities.. For more information, please visit www.patentqualityinitiative.com and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PatentSean.