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PublishedJune 19, 2018

To Promote The Progress

Today, the ten millionth utility patent issued.[1.  Technically speaking, patent 10,000,000 isn’t the ten millionth patent, or even the ten millionth utility patent.  There are around 700,000 design patents, a smattering of plant patents, and the approximately 10,000 utility “X-patents”, most of which were lost in a fire, which pre-date the 1836 Patent Act and the current numbering scheme.]  The patent relates to one way of providing coherent LADAR detection. As we look back at 180 years of Patent Office history and look forward to the next ten million patents, it’s worth remembering that what makes the U.S. patent system unique is the explicit dedication of the system to promoting innovation, rather than merely promoting patents.

For more on this, see my op-ed today in The Hill.

Josh Landau

Patent Counsel, CCIA
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Joshua Landau is the Patent Counsel at the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), where he represents and advises the association regarding patent issues.  Mr. Landau joined CCIA from WilmerHale in 2017, where he represented clients in patent litigation, counseling, and prosecution, including trials in both district courts and before the PTAB.

Prior to his time at WilmerHale, Mr. Landau was a Legal Fellow on Senator Al Franken’s Judiciary staff, focusing on privacy and technology issues.  Mr. Landau received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.S.E.E. from the University of Michigan.  Before law school, he spent several years as an automotive engineer, during which time he co-invented technology leading to U.S. Patent No. 6,934,140.

Follow @PatentJosh on Twitter.

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