This past decade, our world saw incredible steps taken in the realm of technology.  Will that trend continue into the 20s?  Or is there a new hot topic that innovators are focusing on? Technology – especially in the area of headphones, apparently – is not going anywhere, but eyes are turning toward helping the environment now as well.

Active programs for selling patents—particularly in large businesses—weren’t really in use until recent years. This may have been due to lack of inventory control, in which case companies simply didn’t have a solid understanding of what they owned, or a lack of business management, in which case the company had no real understanding of the business applications possible with intellectual property.

With the holidays upon us, what is it most IP owners are wishing for? To be top in their industry? To help encourage progression within the industry? For some, it’s nothing more than getting their patent accepted. Of course, there are ways around that, so keep reading.

Do you know someone obsessed with patents, intellectual property, and innovation? Maybe you have a patent lawyer in your life, or maybe someone who’s invented a few things and holds their own patents. Maybe your aunt or uncle just loves to know how things work, and how we got from the caveman’s wheel to Elon Musk’s Tesla. Whatever their reasons for loving the patent process, we have the perfect holiday gifts for them!

In today’s world, it is becoming harder and harder to continue without being connected, so companies are doing what they can to make technology work in your favor, whether for business or leisure. This month’s patents show us new ways to stay safe and also give us a look at how Sony will be changing the game with their next console and headset.

Generally, reporting patent news is interesting for the technology and business aspects. On occasion, however, we run into headscratchers—those little inconsistencies that make you go “hmmm…”

It’s important to remember that patents can be issued not just for life-saving medical equipment – and hopefully diagnostic methods – but also on board games, like Monopoly. And these patents can be developed by anyone, male or female. However, even if your patented game says you will earn 15% more for your endeavors if you are female, this doesn’t always translate to the real world. Sometimes the best you can hope for is a little credit on the box. For now, anyway.

The 2019 Lemelson-MIT prize—sometimes referred to as the “Oscar for Innovation”—has been awarded to Cody Friesen. Friesen current serves as Fulton Engineering Professor of Innovation and Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. He also serves as a Senior Sustainability Scientist at the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability.

Ford has introduced an idea to bring the entertainment with you in the car while projecting it outside. Some previously patented technology is back for another round, and a Federal Circuit case shows that courts are willing to show flexibility in interpreting the law as it relates to “substantial equivalents.”

We’ve spent a lot of time discussing the many reasons that quality is more important than quantity, outlining various tactics corporations have used to plump their patent portfolios. The many ways that companies may have harmed their patent strategy through mass filings or purchases are varied—but it does beg the question: Is it ever a good thing to file applications for or acquire large numbers of patents?