Although a few lucky entrepreneurs are able to find success seemingly overnight, most understand that true innovations are more likely to come from a deliberate process of research and development than a sudden burst of insight. For those inventors who are convinced they could be on the cusp of an important breakthrough but need time to refine their creations, filing a provisional patent application may be a smart strategy.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's promotion of progress and innovation may soon serve it well in an unexpected manner, as a new competition encourages participants to develop new software that will make patent searches more efficient.

The latest analysis of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filings has revealed a significant uptick in the issuance of utility patents in recent months, with administrators setting an all-time single-week high, according to PatentlyO.

While some firms may be determined to secure intellectual property protections to gain the upper hand on their competitors, new findings from researchers at the University of Buffalo suggest that patent sharing may actually increase the odds of market success while spurring overall innovation.

British Intellectual Property Minister Baroness Wilcox has been touring the facilities of several leading environmental innovators this week and encouraging members of the business community to take advantage of the so-called "green channel," a set of provisions that speed the patent application and review process for firms with eco-friendly new ideas.

Recent research from the National Women's Business Council has taken a closer look at the gender differences among patent applicants in the past four decades, suggesting that the rise of female patent holders may lead to a surge in entrepreneurial activity and women-owned businesses.

One of the largest fundamental changes introduced by the America Invents Act was the expansion of the prior user rights defense to patents covering all technologies, as opposed to prior mandates that limited the defense's application to business processes. Although this provision is expected to provide crucial intellectual property protection to parties that have been using an invention in the field for more than a year, some wonder if the legislation may indirectly foster a culture of secrecy that inhibits invention disclosure.

University research has spawned some of the more impressive inventions in recent memory, and it appears that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is keen to call upon this engine of innovation once again and work with academic institutions to flatten regulatory hurdles standing in their way.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has circulated three draft guidance documents concerning its role in facilitating the development of biosimilar products. Experts are suggesting that the newly released provisions could affect everything from invention disclosure to trade secrets management within the dynamic pharmaceutical industry.

Apple's latest patent application may signal a new standard in mobile technology as the company works to incorporate 3D eye-tracking into the graphical user interface of future iPhones and iPads.