Indeed, the two IP law blogs are the clear leaders in their category – each having over ten times the vote of any other contender – but they are also currently numbers two and three overall, out of the 100 nominees, with only the New York Law School students’ blog Legal As She Is Spoke ahead of them (by some margin – one suspects on-campus campaigning might be partly responsible). But the China Law Blog is pretty hot on their heels.
So, have you considered voting in the poll? And if so, then for whom?
Setting aside Patentology’s obvious disappointment at once again this year failing to gain ABA recognition (the Blawg 100 is compiled by ABA Journal staff and is largely a favorites’ list, although there is a ‘Blawg Amici’ process to allow readers to promote their favourite blogs), we would love to see one of the IP law blogs top the list overall.
And while your vote is your business, of course, we would more particularly like to put in a good word for IPWatchdog. While Patently-O undoubtedly provides excellent coverage of developments in US patent law and practice, Gene Quinn’s approach to blogging is very much more attuned to our own. If you just need the facts and figures, it is hard to go past Patently-O. But if you want strong opinions, thoughtful commentary, and practical advice from a practising patent attorney, then IPWatchdog is for you. We do not always agree with Gene’s opinions or conclusions, but we absolutely respect the considerable experience and knowledge which backs them up.
And in the interests of full disclosure, Gene has kindly invited us to contribute on occasion.
Voting in the BLAWG 100 requires registration with the ABA Journal web site, however this process is quick and easy (you will be invited to register as soon as you visit the polling page), and will not result in you receiving any spam! In fact, the site does not even confirm the validity of the email address you provide.
You get 12 votes in all (but you can only use one per blog), so if you really cannot decide between the IP law blogs, you can vote for all of your favourites, and at least try to knock those New York law students off their top spot!
Voting closes on 30 December 2011.
And maybe next year, consider sending in a ‘friend-of-the-blawg’ brief on behalf of Patentology!
Before You Go…
Thank you for reading this article to the end – I hope you enjoyed it, and found it useful. Almost every article I post here takes a few hours of my time to research and write, and I have never felt the need to ask for anything in return.
But now – for the first, and perhaps only, time – I am asking for a favour. If you are a patent attorney, examiner, or other professional who is experienced in reading and interpreting patent claims, I could really use your help with my PhD research. My project involves applying artificial intelligence to analyse patent claim scope systematically, with the goal of better understanding how different legal and regulatory choices influence the boundaries of patent protection. But I need data to train my models, and that is where you can potentially assist me. If every qualified person who reads this request could spare just a couple of hours over the next few weeks, I could gather all the data I need.
The task itself is straightforward and web-based – I am asking participants to compare pairs of patent claims and evaluate their relative scope, using an online application that I have designed and implemented over the past few months. No special knowledge is required beyond the ability to read and understand patent claims in technical fields with which you are familiar. You might even find it to be fun!
There is more information on the project website, at claimscopeproject.net. In particular, you can read:
- a detailed description of the study, its goals and benefits; and
- instructions for the use of the online claim comparison application.
Thank you for considering this request!
Mark Summerfield
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