1st Quarter 2012 Patent Issuances Rebound in Syracuse, But New Applications Drop

SYRACUSE, NY (04/16/2012)(readMedia)-- Hoffman Warnick LLC (HW), an intellectual property law firm headquartered in Albany, NY, with offices in Rochester, NY and Boston, MA, presents the Syracuse Patent Index. The Syracuse Patent Index tracks the number of patents issued and new applications published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to inventors residing in the greater Syracuse area (Onondaga County) each quarter. Hoffman Warnick similarly tracks patent activity in the Albany/Tech Valley region, greater Rochester area, and the Boston area. See http://tinyurl.com/HWPatentIndex. The Syracuse Patent Index is intended to provide a quarterly indicator of the technological trends of the Syracuse region.

While the number of Q1 patents issued in the Syracuse area rebounded from Q4 2012, the number of published application dipped significantly to 124, the lowest number in over a year. Michael Hoffman, partner at Hoffman Warnick states, "After trending upward for the past several quarters, we were not expecting to see such a dramatic drop in patent application publications. Patent applications are published by the USPTO 18 months after their filing date, so the publication numbers should provide a good indicator of maturing R&D efforts that will soon have an economic impact as new products and technologies. It's difficult to explain why such a drop occurred and hopefully the number of published applications bounces back next quarter."

Hoffman also noted that it is not unusual for companies to time patent filings to achieve corporate goals, which may explain fluctuations. However, with the passage of the new American Invents Act, which introduces a "First-To-File" rule, companies will be less inclined to manipulate filing dates. "Waiting to file under the new law may result in a loss of rights should another inventor file for the same invention first."

To obtain a pdf of this quarter's Patent Index, please e-mail hwemail@hoffmanwarnick.com or visit www.hoffmanwarnick.com.

About Hoffman Warnick LLC: Hoffman Warnick LLC is an intellectual property law firm focusing on biotechnology, nanotechnology, computers and software, electrical, mechanical, chemical, and materials engineering. Hoffman Warnick is committed to providing the highest quality services including: domestic and international property rights procurement, dispute resolution, and licensing.