The Federal Circuit made a large decision recently affecting everyone at Wyesbridge Patent Bar Review as well as anyone entering the realms of IP!
On a specific basis, the important and long standing protection of attorney & client privilege has been extended to patent agents while they communicate with their clients on the preparation and prosecution of patent applications.
You can read the write up here at the National Law Review
On March 7, 2016, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recognized “a patent-agent privilege extending to communications with non-attorney patent agents when those agents are acting within the agent’s authorized practice of law before the Patent Office.” The opinion, In Re: Queen’s University at Kingston, PARTEQ Research and Development Innovations, authored by Judge O’Malley and joined by Judge Lourie, granted Queen’s University’s petition for mandamus relief and ordered the district court to withdraw its blanket order compelling the production of communications between Queen’s University and its non-attorney patent agents.
