So what is Reading the [Patent] Law all about?

You've probably already figured on that it's a play on the phrase "reading the law," which used to be the most common way to enter the practice of law. If not, check out this interesting article on how the practice has dwindled to only a handful each year.

So why "reading the [patent] law"? Well, that's because although your humble blogger is a member of a state bar, and thus an attorney, he is not yet licensed by the USPTO. In fact, I have been studying in the area of patent law for years, but have never taken the patent bar.

I have, however, prepared numerous patent applications, responses to office actions, appeal briefs etc, under supervision of licensed patent attorneys. So, I consider myself in the "reading" stage, filled with thoughts an ideas about policy and the law. Are my thoughts less valid because I am not a registered patent attorney? Perhaps. But that isn't going to stop me from sharing them.

The other reason for the name is that reading the law is what we're going to be doing at this blog. I've noticed that some patent law blogs merely report information, and others merely react to isolated dictum from particular cases. I, on the other hand, will engage your mind to think about how new cases fit in the puzzle with prior cases. We'll look at how the law is evolving, rather than making snap judgments and claiming that the law is suddenly changed.

So, let the fun begin....