When Alice came down in 2014, much of the patent prosecution bar reacted with denial. Most practitioners hoped the USPTO, the Federal Circuit, or Congress would clean things up — and that adding some magic language to claims and specifications would eventually be enough. Eli Mazour and Ngai Zhang, separately, came to a different conclusion: there had to be a new, better way to obtain strong patents in the post- Alice world. They started comparing notes more than a decade ago, eventually converge...
May 05, 2026•46 min
President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick pride themselves on being dealmakers and on making the kind of unconventional deals for America no one else could have gotten done. Gil Hyatt is offering them one that sounds like a no-brainer. However, the question remains whether that dealmaking reputation is enough to overcome thirty years of inertia from prior administrations focused on opposing Hyatt, including most notably on keeping any more of his patents from ever issuing. Inventor G...
Apr 21, 2026•19 min
Is anything in the patent world ever really free? That question anchors a new Clause 8 conversation between host Eli Mazour and Professor Kristen Osenga , a University of Richmond law professor and one of the leading academic voices on standard essential patents. At the center of the discussion is the rise of so-called “royalty-free” technology standards. Osenga’s point is straightforward: “free” often comes with strings attached — particularly for smaller innovators that may be required to cros...
Apr 07, 2026•56 min
The story of how John Squires became USPTO Director doesn’t start inside the Beltway. It starts on the Appalachian Trail, with Doug Pittman camping under shooting stars the night after Trump won the election. Pittman — a serial entrepreneur, inventor, and self-described “foxhole buddy” and “wingman” of Squires — drove up from Georgia to sit down with Eli for this episode., fresh off a meeting with the new director himself. What he shared was a rare inside account of how Squires ended up in the j...
Mar 22, 2026•1 hr 9 min
Eli Mazour is joined by Juristat’s Francesca Cruz and patent attorney Clint Mehall to look at what the examination data actually says about recent USPTO changes. The conversation moves past anecdotes to analyze how new examiner performance appraisal plan (PAP), new Section 101 guidance, and the end of the AFCP program are affecting day-to-day patent prosecution. The guests discuss a new framework for examiner seniority based on "At-Bats"—the total number of applications an examiner has handled—r...
Mar 10, 2026•51 min
Artificial intelligence has been raising foundational questions for patent law long before generative tools entered the mainstream. In this episode of Clause 8 , host Eli Mazour speaks with Wen Xie , U.S. Patent Attorney and Founder of Lux Lumen Intellectual Property , about how legal thinking around AI, inventorship, and patent eligibility has evolved—and where it appears to be heading. The conversation traces early debates sparked by the DABUS cases , which framed AI inventorship as a question...
Feb 24, 2026•53 min
In the latest episode of Clause 8, recorded in December 2025, Eli Mazour sits down with Peter-Anthony Pappas , Director of Intellectual Property Policy for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary under Senator Thom Tillis , at a moment when the USPTO’s direction is in significant alignment with what Senator Tillis and Senator Chris Coons have been working toward since reviving the Senate IP Subcommittee in 2019. Under new USPTO leadership, the agency has taken meaningful steps to strengthen p...
Feb 10, 2026•1 hr 11 min
How do you protect the IP of a rapidly growing technology company in the dynamic AI sector without slowing engineers or missing what really matters? That question is at the center of this episode of Clause 8, where host Eli Mazour sat down with Subroto Bose , Head of IP at Astera Labs , at the VIA Licensing Alliance’s 2025 Bridge Summit. Prior to Astera, Subroto held IP leadership roles at global semiconductor companies and standards-driven licensing environments. That breadth of experience info...
Jan 27, 2026•26 min
While many people talk about mentorship, HP’s Chief IP Counsel Ceyda Maisami and Tradespace’s VP of IP Operations & Client Success Marcia Chang actually live it. In this episode, Ceyda and Marcia join Clause 8 host Eli Mazour for a wide-ranging conversation about mentorship, what it really takes to run IP teams inside large technology companies, and what the rise of AI means for both in-house and outside counsel. They share the story of how they first met at HP, why Ceyda credits Marcia with...
Jan 13, 2026•1 hr 20 min
At the 2025 Via Licensing Alliance Bridge Summit in San Francisco, Brian Dorini , Senior Director at Dolby, and Tyrome Brown , Dolby’s Chief Patent Counsel, offered a clear-eyed look at the state of patent pools and the shifting realities of the global SEP ecosystem. Far from being outdated structures, both emphasized that pools remain essential tools for enabling collaboration, reducing friction, and supporting meaningful innovation — even amid regulatory uncertainty. Dorini described patent po...
Dec 30, 2025•17 min
Recent changes at USPTO are increasingly shaping the context in which Congress considers potential patent legislation. In the latest episode of Clause 8 , the focus turns to how the USPTO’s evolving approach to post-grant proceedings at the PTAB is shaping the broader patent policy debate—and influencing what Congress may (or may not) do next. The episode features David Jones , Executive Director of the High Tech Inventors Alliance (HTIA) and a longtime Clause 8 favorite, alongside Jeffrey Hants...
Dec 16, 2025•1 hr 21 min
Corey Salsberg, one of the leading voices on intellectual property policy in the United States, joins Clause 8 to discuss surviving the anti-pharma activism of the last administration, why he’s encouraged by the current administration’s approach to patent policy, and even the scientific possibility of “resurrecting the woolly mammoth.” As Global Head of IP at Novartis, Salsberg has a unique vantage point on how legal uncertainty affects the future of healthcare innovations. His work testifying b...
Dec 02, 2025•1 hr 10 min
At the Via Licensing Alliance’s Bridge Summit 2025 in San Francisco, Clause 8 host Eli Mazour sat down with two leaders who ushered in the modern age of patent pools: Garrard Beeney , founder of Sullivan & Cromwell’s IP practice, and John Sideris , Principal Licensing Counsel at Philips. Their conversation traces the evolution of patent pools — from the early days of MPEG LA and antitrust uncertainty to today’s complex, global licensing ecosystem. Garrard Beeney recalls how early skepticism ...
Nov 21, 2025•38 min
In this episode of Clause 8 , Deputy Commissioner for Patents Jerry Lorengo joins host Eli Mazour to share valuable, practical insights for patent professionals navigating the USPTO’s new Performance Appraisal Plan (PAP) . Jerry discusses what’s changed in the latest update — including the revised streamlined review process , new production expectations , and updated interview time policy — and offers guidance on how examiners, applicants, and SPEs can adapt effectively. He reveals that the stre...
Nov 04, 2025•1 hr 7 min
When I first heard about Lisa Ascolese , known as “The Inventress,” I knew I wanted to bring her story to Clause 8. Lisa’s path into inventing began after her family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where her creativity and curiosity found room to grow. She started inventing at a young age, driven by the simple desire to solve everyday problems. That curiosity evolved into a lifelong passion for turning ideas into reality. Her first major success—the Bosom Buddy breastfeeding cape —opened doors to r...
Oct 21, 2025•43 min
At the Via LA 2025 Bridge Summit in San Francisco, Clause 8 host Eli Mazour sat down with two leaders who play pivotal roles in connecting innovators and licensees around the world: * Jane Bu , Chief Licensing Officer at Via LA, the world’s largest patent pool. (You can listen to Eli’s previous conversation with Via’s President, Heath Hoglund, here ). * Rob Tobias , CEO & President of HDMI LA, the organization formed by Hitachi, Matsushita, Maxell, Philips, Silicon Image, Sony, Thomson and T...
Oct 07, 2025•39 min
Tech transfer has long been a critical but often overlooked part of the intellectual property system. For decades, the Bayh-Dole Act has guided how federally funded research moves from university labs into the marketplace. The system has generated hundreds of thousands of inventions and startups — and, as Laura Peter notes, led to nearly $2 trillion in economic growth through tech transfer. While widely regarded as a success, new march-in rights and “patent revenue sharing” proposals from policy...
Sep 23, 2025•1 hr
In To Invent Is Divine: Creativity and Ownership , Jim makes the case that creativity and ownership are inseparable—and that weakening intellectual property rights threatens the flourishing that invention enables. He draws connections between faith, history, and policy to explore why protecting intellectual property is about more than law or economics. Highlights from our conversation: * From Genesis to Jefferson: How creation implies ownership, and why even some Founders wrestled with protectin...
Sep 09, 2025•58 min
From Coke Morgan Stewart’s decisive actions at the USPTO, to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s unexpected “patent tax” trial balloon, to the ongoing Federal Circuit drama — it felt impossible to figure out where to start telling the story. The only way to make sense of it all was to bring in three of our favorite journalists who cover these issues every day: * Eileen McDermott , Editor-in-Chief of IPWatchdog * Dani Kass , Senior Reporter at Law360 * Michael Shapiro , Senior Reporter at Bloombe...
Aug 26, 2025•1 hr 3 min
PTO 'whistleblower' Julie Burke and patent prosecution guru Clint Mehall join Eli on the season finale of Clause 8 to break down what’s happening at the USPTO—and what’s still left to be done. On this episode, they discuss: *Insights from the Reddit r/patentexaminer thread *Previous and current plans to reduce the record patent application backlog *Should the USPTO withdraw patent eligibility example 47 for AI ? *Previous administration’s decision to end AFCP program and ideas for variation of A...
Apr 08, 2025•1 hr 5 min
What is the actual value of patents? Inventors and companies invest millions in obtaining patents, believing they are valuable assets. Yet, their true worth is rarely quantified. For this episode of Clause 8, Eli Mazour brings together three of the most insightful experts in the patent valuation space: Michal Malkovich, Vice President at Charles River Associates; Alejandra Loaiza Delgado, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Econ Edge; and Mike Pellegrino, President and Founder of Pellegrino &...
Mar 25, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 79
Host Eli Mazour talks with Heath Hoglund, President of Via LA, to break down the role of patent pools in today’s innovation landscape. Tune in as they discuss: *The balance between licensors and licensees—and how Via LA acts as a bridge between them *Merger of Via Licensing and MPEG LA in 2003 to form Via LA *How Dolby’s strong brand helped it succeed with technology licensing *The challenges of starting a new patent pool program and what makes one successful *Future of patent pools *Heath’s sto...
Mar 11, 2025•46 min
Kathy Duda is the President of The Patent Office Professional Association (POPA) , which is the union representing USPTO patent examiners. On this episode, she discusses why she remains hopeful amidst current uncertainty around new return to office policies. In the episode, she also discusses: *Positive collaboration with Acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart Getting first involved with POPA after it helped her during her pregnancy Negotiating the first collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with t...
Feb 26, 2025•38 min
Join Eli Mazour as he explores the vital role of the U.S. patent system in fostering innovation. Entrepreneur Patrick Murray shares his journey from ideation to patent acquisition with Radium Payments, emphasizing the importance of intellectual property in business validation. Lisa Mueller, host of the AUTM on the Air podcast, delves into tech transfer, revealing how universities push innovations from labs to marketplaces. This episode underscores patents as essential drivers of American entrepr...
Feb 11, 2025•56 min
In this special episode of Clause 8, Eli shares why Coke Morgan Stewart is the perfect person to lead the USPTO. Eli discusses why her selection excites him and the broader implications for the intellectual property field. Reflecting on past directorships and the challenges faced by the USPTO, Eli explores issues such as patent backlogs, Section 101 rejections, and PTAB policies. Highlighting Stewart's experiences and skills, Eli shares his optimism for positive changes under her leadership. Thi...
Jan 28, 2025•28 min
What better way to wrap up 2024 than a conversation around the future of the USPTO with David Boundy. David is one of the sharpest minds at the intersection of administrative law and intellectual property. Plus, during his tenure at Cantor Fitzgerald, David worked closely with its visionary CEO, Howard Lutnick, who is leading Trump’s transition team and Trump’s pick for Commerce Secretary. This episode includes David’s thoughts on: * Why the next USPTO Director should prioritize examination qual...
Dec 31, 2024•48 min
Earlier this year, Eli had the opportunity to spend a day in Israel with Ariel Dubinsky, the founder and owner of Ariel Dubinsky Law Firm. While there, Eli learned that Ariel is at the heart of Israel’s dynamic intellectual property ecosystem. Ariel mainly focuses on trademarks and copyright, which is increasingly important for the so-called “Startup Nation” which saw a record breaking $10.5 billion in startup acquisitions just this year. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss th...
Dec 17, 2024•39 min
In this special episode of Clause 8, host Eli Mazour takes us behind the scenes of the Consero IP Forum, where he spoke with IP leaders about common pain points and solutions. Guests include: * Dimitri Kirimis , Lead Counsel at Cruise * Scott Miller , Chief IP Counsel at Zoetis * Joel Meyer , VP of IP and Innovation Strategy at Digimarc * Praveer Gupta , Director of Patents and Innovation Strategy at Uniphore This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or g...
Dec 03, 2024•29 min
This week’s Clause 8 episode features Bridget Smith, Assistant General Counsel and Director, Intellectual Property at Relativity Space—the first company to successfully create and launch a 3D-printed rocket. 🚀 Bridget, who previously made waves as a top PTAB practitioner, is now at the helm of IP strategy at Relativity Space, where she’s implementing an innovative approach to IP by using a trade secrets registry. In an industry that moves at light speed, Bridget’s focus on tracking and protecti...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr
Jerry Ma, Director of Emerging Technologies and Chief AI Officer, and Charles Kim, Deputy Commissioner for the USPTO tell story of co-chairing USPTO's AI working group - sharing insights on USPTO's AI tools guidance, applying §101 for AI-related inventions, and leveraging AI for examination. Together, the two co-lead a group working on AI efforts and according to Jerry are focused on “a human first vision for AI at the agency.” In the episode, host Eli Mazour explores how Jerry and Charles led U...
Nov 05, 2024•39 min
