Three COVID-19 Changes IP Attys Want to Keep and One That Must Go

Alex Yap spoke to Law360 for an article discussing some of the adjustments the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Federal Circuit, and other patent-heavy courts have made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the most part, intellectual property attorneys want the changes to stick around after the threat has passed, but lawyers don’t want to give up on in-person oral arguments and trials.

According to Alex, even at the Patent Trials and Appeals Board, where video conferencing is common, it still isn’t a perfect situation. He added that while the internet may work well and while the office provides a professional backdrop for its judges, interacting with other people through technology can be strange.

“It’s a really different feeling when you have a video conference hearing, it’s just really bizarre,” Alex said. “It is really weird when people are talking to you but they’re not really looking at you. The back and forth is really awkward.”

Read the full article.