Modern innovation typically occurs one step-improvement at a time. Some clients initially question whether their new application of an existing technology is patentable. Usually, the answer is ‘yes.’ Under U.S. law (and most other jurisdictions), an innovation to an existing technology is patentable so long as at least one claim limitation is novel and non-obvious....… Continue Reading

Day 3 of the JPMorgan healthcare conference was one of striking contrasts between the old and the new. (And, by the way, the rain finally stopped for a day, but it will be back tomorrow to finish off the last day of the conference). The Old:  Sitting in the Community Health Systems (CHS) presentation and...… Continue Reading

I have blogged before about the effects and possibilities of the Corrigendum of December 2019 for class I medical devices. I refer you to that blog for the background to this discussion, which covers the mechanics of timing. The draft corrigendum discussed in that blog was adopted as described.  The new guidance The MDCG has […]

It’s always a risk to put out a theory about legislative oversight after a Sherlock Homes investigation that eliminates all other options as I did in my last blog about the MDR amendment proposal. Recent development seem to confirm that I was right in assuming that not touching the two dates of application of 26 […]

If the worst thing that happens to me during this global pandemic is that I have to buy new pants, I will weep with gratitude.

In several states and in parts of California, black and Latino people are dying of COVID-19 at higher rates than their white and Asian counterparts.

Bill Oakley, a writer on "The Simpsons," admitted on Twitter that perhaps the animated TV show did forecast some of our troubling current events.

Andy Serkis, who plays Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" films, announced that he will livestream a reading of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" on Friday.

As the economy has cratered, mortgage lenders tightened standards for people who are still interested in buying or refinancing a home.

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose criticized Steven Mnuchin and Trump's coronavirus response, which irked the Treasury secretary and started a Twitter spat.

For goodness sake, if you're going to hike, wear a mask.

Kings County Supervisor Doug Verboon said the outbreak at Central Valley Meat Company in Hanford accounts for nearly two-thirds of the coronavirus cases in the rural county, which has a total of 211 reported cases.

Until millions of Americans can be tested weekly for coronavirus, states will walk blindly into restarts. But NIH director has a plan to ramp up.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he doesn't see full stadiums of fans for sports happening amid the coronavirus outbreak until a vaccine is available.

Film critic Justin Chang hosted a live discussion of 'The Avengers,' the first film Times readers chose in the Ultimate Summer Movie Showdown series.

Souplantation's owner says there was no way the restaurants' longtime self-serve model could survive in the era of COVID-19

The idea that old people are worth something because they contribute significantly to society puts us on a slippery slope.

Nursing facilities account for a large percentage of COVID-19 deaths. Better protection and testing can change that.

The daft showdown over coronavirus masks wouldn't matter if we didn't live in the political tinderbox that is Trump's America.

It was impossible to maintain any kind of social distance and there was no way to protect oneself from COVID-19.

Trump admits that he's putting Americans at grave risk by encouraging economices to reopen. He should protect us with testing.

When it opened last week for the first time since mid-March, Nomads Canteen in San Clemente quickly filled with customers eager to get out of the house and return to some sense of normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

With no coronavirus vaccine in sight, employers and building landlords are turning to tech, design and distancing to keep office workers healthy.

Norwegian Cruise Line says it's in danger of going out of business. Maybe that's not the worst thing for an industry of floating petri dishes.

Doctors have recently identified a condition called pediatric inflammatory multi-system syndrome among children who have tested positive for antibodies against COVID-19.

It was one of last year's hot tickets: Gustavo Dudamel, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Zubin Mehta, on the same stage at the same time. How to see it for free.

The Ramirezes never thought the coronavirus would get them. They took every precaution, but the virus still found its way into their home. Over the course of days, each member of the 10-person household became infected. Three were hospitalized. And one, the family patriarch, died.

Many countries saw the coronavirus as a "rich man's disease" imported by overseas travelers. It has since hit marginalized groups the hardest.

The coronavirus outbreak makes finding jobs more difficult for everyone. College seniors face unique career challenges.

City and county trails reopen this weekend. Almost every day, the rules change in the beaches and parks of Southern California. Here's the latest.

The America that condones mass murder of children is allowing the coronavirus to spread.

Amid a plateau in the number of new coronavirus-related deaths in Los Angeles County, officials Friday were easing into an economic recovery plan.

Robert De Niro told Stephen Colbert he wants to play New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a pandemic movie. And Cuomo approves.

Three more inmates died of coronavirus and the number who are infected has more than doubled at the California state prison in Chino, officials said.

Tesla must follow the same rules that apply to other nonessential businesses, Alameda County officials said.

The U.S. death toll in the coronavirus outbreak surpasses 77,000 as states continue to ease restrictions and President Trump pushes for faster reopening.

With the economy in free fall and deaths still rising from the coronavirus crisis, President Trump argued Friday that voters shouldn't hold him responsible.

California reopening: On Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, the normally bustling shopping district that has been largely vacant amid the coronavirus, there were signs of life Friday as some retailers opened for curbside service.

Enough is enough, says a growing number of creatives from the fashion industry, including designer Kimora Lee Simmons, stylist Jeanne Yang and designer Prabal Gurung.

It is an "eerie" day in Seal Beach as businesses struggle to come back and crowds stay away.

Major League Baseball will hold a five-round draft in June, a big reduction from the usual 40 rounds. Many Southland players are expected to be taken.

UCLA, the NCAA champion in 2019 and the No. 1 team in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, got a boost with the return of Rachel Garcia and Bubba Nickles.

Older people who are more at risk of dying from COVID-19 contribute immeasurably to society, but they should not have to prove their worth.

The coronavirus-idled events team from a ski resort runs a food bank in Basalt, Colo., pivoting from delivering entertainment to helping the hungry.

Despite President Trump's statements that the coronavirus was released from a laboratory in Wuhan, scientist say the evidence points to a natural origin.

Celebrate Mother's Day with a livestream of the musical bio-drama "Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin"

By Karla L. Palmer —

Experts caution that even promising early results don’t guarantee that vaccines will be widely available anytime soon.

"We are still a nation that those brave soldiers, sailors and airmen would recognize and admire," the monarch said.

Over the past year Juul has faced criticism and scrutiny over its role in what public health officials call an "epidemic" of teen nicotine addiction.,