[New Podcast] American Inventor Horror Story

By: Josh Sloat

Illustration: Declan Wrede

Episode 7: American Inventor Horror Story

10 Years of AIA and the PTAB
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Listen in as we discuss the impact of the AIA and the PTAB with inventors gathered as part of the "Decade of Stolen Dreams" rallies, happening in front of regional USPTO offices all across the country, marking the 10 year anniversary of the passage of the America Invents Act – an event described by advocacy groups as the worst event in U.S. patent history.

The inventors and entrepreneurs at the rally we attended, all from diverse backgrounds with very different stories, have one thing in common and that is their shared belief that the AIA and the PTAB – with its eye-popping 84% invalidation rate – have crippled innovators and created a Decade of Stolen Dreams, ruining the lives of countless inventors and shutting down numerous start-ups, in favor of Big Tech and multinational corporations.

In this episode, we break down the AIA and PTAB through a wide array of personal perspectives from inventors, patent practitioners, and even a former USPTO patent examiner. We explore its origins, core problems, and proposed solutions. We also provide some very practical tips that inventors should consider now to help future-proof their patents, should they ever find themselves on the receiving end of an IPR.

Inventors are not only the real engine of our economy, but they’re also the reason we do what we do here at Aurora. This is a complex issue, with high stakes, involving the people who matter most to our business and what the world will look like for our kids, so we can’t think of a better use of a podcast episode than to lend a voice and hopefully shine a light on the key issues and some potential solutions. 

I am joined today by an exceptional group of industry experts, founders, and inventors including:

• Ashley Sloat: President & Director of Patent Strategy at Aurora Consulting
• Dan Brown: Professor at Northwestern, owner of 40 utility patents, elected to the National Academy of Inventors, and serves as the inventor rep on the Patent Public Advisory Committee. 
• Bob Schmidt: Founder, Chairman and CEO of 5 companies including Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies and Cleveland Medical Devices, Co-Chair of the Small Business Technology Council, and has 40 patents to his name
• Louis Carbonneau: Founder & CEO of Tangible IP, one of the largest patent brokers in the world
• Kip Azzoni Doyle: Inventor of the CardShark WalletSkin and the author of the upcoming book, “Blood in the Water, America’s Assault on Innovation”
• Tariq Najee-ullah: 10 year patent examiner, former NASA engineer, and current Principal at Patent Insider

Availability

Patently Strategic is available on all major podcasting directories, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. We're also available on 12 other directories including Stitcher, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn, so you should be able to find us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Topic and guest participant requests

If you’re an agent or attorney and would like to be part of the discussion or an inventor with a topic you’d like to hear discussed, please reach out.

Resources

If you haven’t listened to our episodes on patent searching or patent monetization, we highly recommend you also give them some ears. In this episode, we talk a fair amount about importance of searching prior art and how it’ll help if you ever find yourself facing the PTAB. It tees in wonderfully with the context and strategy bits Shelley and Louis cover in the prior episodes. Be sure to check 'em out. 

We're also providing computer-generated transcripts for improved accessibility and additional reference opportunities.