What Do We Want? IP Stakeholders Weigh in on Wildest Dreams for 2026

"In a perfect IP world for 2026, several longstanding pain points would finally be addressed. For companies managing global portfolios, a truly centralized system for worldwide patent and trademark filings, paired with unified and streamlined financing, would dramatically reduce administrative burden, cost, and inefficiency across jurisdictions. Another major wish is a slowdown in the commoditization of patent prosecution. Restoring greater emphasis on strategy, technical depth, and claim quality would benefit both innovators and the integrity of the patent system as a whole."

"At the doctrinal level, a definitive Supreme Court ruling clarifying patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. §101 would be transformative. Clear, consistent standards would reduce uncertainty and allow innovators to better assess risk and value at earlier stages of development. Relatedly, subject matter eligibility determinations, particularly at the examination level, would rely far less on examiner subjectivity. A more objective framework would limit the use of complex Alice/Mayo Step 1 and 2 rejections as a procedural shortcut, reducing unnecessary prosecution cycles and escalating costs for applicants."

A centralized global system for patent and trademark filings with unified, streamlined financing would reduce administrative burden, cost, and cross-jurisdiction inefficiency. Slowing the commoditization of patent prosecution and restoring emphasis on strategy, technical depth, and claim quality would strengthen patent integrity and benefit innovators. A definitive Supreme Court ruling clarifying patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. §101 would create clear, consistent standards and reduce uncertainty, enabling earlier risk and value assessment. Reducing examiner subjectivity through a more objective framework would limit Alice/Mayo Step 1 and 2 rejections used as procedural shortcuts and lower prosecution cycles and costs. Continued USPTO modernization of trademark and TTAB systems would improve practitioner workflows.

Read at IPWatchdog.com | Patents & Intellectual Property Law