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Table of Contents

• This Week's Patent News

• Weekly Statistics

• Main Article

• Trivia (question)

• Featured Inventor

• Today in Patent History

• Our Features

• Centurion Patentors

• Trivia (answer)

• Poll

This Week's Patent News:

1. LONGi Sues Jinko Solar in the U.S. Over TOPCon Patent Infringement: Chinese solar module manufacturer LONGi filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Jinko Solar and its subsidiaries in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The suit alleges that Jinko's tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) photovoltaic modules infringe on LONGi's U.S. patents.

2. Whataburger Faces Second Patent Infringement Lawsuit: New York-based Torus Ventures LLC filed a lawsuit against Texas-based fast-food chain Whataburger, alleging infringement of a 2007 patent related to a security protocol system for digital copyright control. This follows a previous lawsuit by Nearby Systems accusing Whataburger of infringing on patents related to mobile mapping content.

3. Senators Coons and Cotton Reintroduce RESTORE Patent Rights Act: Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the RESTORE Patent Rights Act of 2025, aiming to restore patent owners' rights to injunctive relief in infringement cases.

4. Federal Circuit's Decision in Halo v. Pulse on Enhanced Damages: After 18 years of litigation, the Federal Circuit issued a decision in Halo v. Pulse, addressing issues related to enhanced damages, attorney fees, and prejudgment interest. The court affirmed the district court's refusal to enhance damages despite the jury's willfulness finding.

5. Federal Circuit Denies Patent Agent Registration for Former USPTO Examiner: The Federal Circuit upheld the USPTO's denial of a former patent examiner's application to register as a patent practitioner due to the applicant's failure to disclose a prior workplace suspension, highlighting the importance of candor in registration applications.

USAA’s patent portfolio for RDC technology has become a veritable ATM for the company, earning it an estimated hundreds of millions in licensing fees and settlements. Big banks and fintechs, names we all know and some of us grudgingly pay fees to have found themselves cutting checks to USAA faster than you can endorse the back of one. In a twist of irony, it’s USAA depositing the funds while the banking giants are left shaking the proverbial piggy bank.

The technology itself is genius in its simplicity: snap a picture, upload it, and voilà, your check is safely on its way to your account. However, USAA’s true genius lies in its foresight to patent and meticulously defend the process. With litigation victories against some of the largest financial institutions, USAA has demonstrated that even the Davids of the financial world can sling a mean legal rock.

One thing is clear: USAA isn't just safeguarding your money; it's safeguarding its intellectual property. And that, as they'd probably say in the boardroom, is a checkmate.

Please scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to find out.

He began his professional journey at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), where he played an integral role in the development of microprocessors, including the 8088, 186, 286, 386, 486, K5, K6, and K7, as well as SRAM and EEPAL technologies. Over 17 years at AMD (1985–2002), he contributed to advancements that propelled the computing industry forward. Fulford transitioned to Cypress Semiconductor, continuing his work in SRAM and PSOC development from 2002 to 2006. His tenure at Micron (2007–2019) saw him at the forefront of innovation in low-voltage and high-voltage FETs for FLASH and 3D XPoint memory.

Designed to pressure suspects into admissions while documenting the process, it reflected early efforts to merge technology with law enforcement. While its ethical implications might raise eyebrows today, Shelby’s device foreshadowed modern police recording methods. Though not widely adopted, the concept laid groundwork for today’s body cams and interrogation room cameras, proving that inventors had an eye for high-tech crime-solving early on.

Inventors Helping Inventors Succeed in the Market

Congratulations to last week's Centurion Patentors!
We are excited to welcome the following inventors into these prestigious patent clubs:

For more info about their research & patents, click here

The answer is:

David - 5040 patents, Michael - 4962, John - 4659, Robert - 4122, James - 3457, Thomas - 2850, William - 2546, Richard - 2492, Mark - 2309, Paul - 2119, Peter - 2040, Daniel - 1901.

* Possible discussion topics could include Prototyping, Intellectual Property, Funding & Investment, Sales & Marketing, Licensing Strategies, Manufacturing Processes, Industry Regulations, and more.