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William (Bill) J. Samore

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As an associate with the firm, Bill Samore focuses his practice on preparing and prosecuting U.S., foreign and international patents in numerous technical areas. His prosecution practice involves electrical, mechanical, software, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, blockchain technology, and other computer-related technologies. Bill is well-versed in the patent prosecution process including drafting and prosecuting patent applications. He has conducted numerous examination interviews at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He has also worked with many inventors to protect their works. Read full bio here.

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On December 4, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued two memoranda addressing the use of Subject Matter Eligibility Declarations (“SMEDs”) during patent prosecution, both from Director John Squires.  The first, the SMED Examiner Memo, targets the Patent Examining Corps, clarifying how examiners should treat applicant-submitted evidence under 37 CFR 1.132 in traversing subject matter eligibility (SME) rejections.  The second, the Best Practices for SMEDs Memo, addresses the legal community, emphasizing strategies for maximizing the value and probative weight of SMEDs.  This article summarizes both memos, offering practical insights for innovators, patent professionals, and stakeholders navigating the Section 101 landscape.Continue Reading USPTO Issues Guidance on Subject Matter Eligibility Declarations (“SMED”)

In a recent PTABWatch article titled “PTAB Provides Some Clarity on Artificial intelligence (AI) Obviousness in IPR decision,” the PTAB’s approach to evaluating obviousness in AI-related patents is examined.  The article discusses the case Tesla, Inc. v. Autonomous Devices, LLC, where the PTAB invalidated all challenged claims of U.S. Patent Number 11,055,583, which pertained…

PatentNext Takeaway:  WIPO published a Patent Landscape Report on GenAI.  The Patent Landscape Report discusses trends in GenAI, including trends in: GenAI scientific publications, GenAI patents, GenAI models, types of data used in GenAI, and GenAI application areas.Continue Reading WIPO Issues a Patent Landscape Report on Generative AI

Patent Eligibility for AI Inventions

The UK’s Patents Act 1977 § 1(2)(c) excludes, from patent protection, “a program for a computer.”  Under this exclusion, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) rejected Emotional Perception AI Ltd.’s patent claim, which included an Artificial Neural Network (ANN).  However, on November 21, 2023, the High Court overturned the rejection, stating that the exclusion did not apply.  In response to the High Court’s decision, the UKIPO temporarily suspended its guidance on patent applications relating to AI inventions, and issued interim guidance that Patent Examiners should not object to inventions involving ANNs under the “program for a computer” exclusion.Continue Reading UK’s High Court Opens The Door For More AI Inventions

In his petition for certiorari, Stephen Thaler had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the Federal Circuit decision in which the court ruled that artificial intelligence (AI) could not be listed as the sole inventor.  However, the Supreme Court has now denied Thaler’s petition, and it is now effectively up to Congress to act to promote any change on the issue.  As Thaler noted in his petition, this issue is unlikely to be appealed to the Supreme Court again.   Particularly, the Federal Circuit has already denied en banc rehearing; additionally, the Federal Circuit is the only court of appeals with jurisdiction over questions of patent law, so no circuit split will occur.  Indeed, as the law is essentially settled at this point, Applicants are unlikely to even file patent applications listing AI as the sole inventor, and thus the fact pattern is unlikely to repeat itself.Continue Reading The Future of AI Inventorship Following Denial of Stephen Thaler’s Petition

PatentNext Summary: Following the August 2022 Federal Circuit decision in Thaler v. Vidal, 43 F.4th 1207 (Fed. Cir. 2022), in which the court ruled that artificial intelligence (AI) could not be an inventor by itself, the USPTO has now requested comments regarding AI and inventorship. Continue Reading USPTO Request for Comments on AI as an Inventor