USPTO's Updated Obviousness Guidelines
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has updated its guidelines for patent examiners and applicants regarding obviousness under 35 USC § 103. Effective February 27, 2024, the new Guidelines stress the need for flexibility and reasoned explanations when assessing the obviousness of claimed inventions.
The updated Guidelines move away from a sole focus on identifying the best prior art during examination and instead emphasize the effective gathering and presentation of evidence to establish obviousness. The new Guidelines incorporates references to key patent cases and review Federal Circuit cases related to combining elements from different references and defining analogous art.
Shutting down the Contribute Feature for Google Translate
Google has recently announced the discontinuation of the Contribute feature for Google Translate, a tool that allowed users to suggest translations to improve the platform's quality. This decision comes as Google Translate has made significant advancements in recent years, largely attributed to the evolution of its underlying systems.
Launched in 2014, the Contribute feature aimed to harness the expertise of language enthusiasts and native speakers to enhance translations across the 80 languages supported by Google Translate.