The Day After COVID-19 Pandemic – Hope or Fear?

There is a lot of talk about the COVID-19 pandemic and what its effects will be on our businesses, the economy, and the society as a whole. Expert and non-expert opinions span over a wide range. Simply categorized, these opinions are either pessimistic or optimistic. In a sense, they are similar to the opinions regarding the stock market. There are always the bulls and the bears. Which lead should you follow? I heard for example that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that due to the Corona virus crisis, the global economy will go through a recession in 2020 of a magnitude not seen in 100 years. As an example of the bull view, I heard Mark Cuban saying that the United States has an opportunity to develop America 2.0 after the COVID-19 crisis. I for one am with the optimistic crowd. Here is why.

From my vantage point of a small business owner of a boutique IP law practice, I see first-hand the American ingenuity promptly and steadily at work. I see inventors developing new products and technologies related to COVID-19. They range from consumer products to prevent the spread of the virus or keep our food safe, to diagnostic or treatment methods for COVID-19 virus. We are already writing and filing patent applications for such inventions. I can only imagine the magnitude of these efforts on a national scale. New testing devices and methods are announced weekly by various biotechnology companies. New vaccine and therapeutics are in the works. Clinical trials are in progress. 

Furthermore, switching to another technical field, I am certain that many new technologies are being developed related to work-from-home (WFH). I and my team, as I am sure so did you, too often experienced slow speed Internet due to everybody working from home at the same time, while the networks in the neighborhood are not capable of handling the high network traffic. I was told by my Internet service provider that the network infrastructure in the neighborhood was simply not built for the current network traffic. If the working-from-home will continue after the crisis, which I think it will, networks will have to be upgraded to be faster, leaner and more secure. So, naturally, this will lead to new technologies in the field of Internet speed, security and reliability. I can imagine for example a powerful work from home system and supporting network infrastructure that will make online meetings and collaborations very closely mimicking in person meetings and collaborations. For example, a multi-camera system instead of a single-camera system that will be capable of making participants almost feel that they are in the same room. Obviously, a very robust Internet connection will be needed to support such an improved WFH system. 

Many other technologies are likely to be born out of this crisis. While some sectors of the economy will be negatively affected, overall, because of new technologies that are being developed, I believe the economy is likely to come out better and stronger. For example, I dare to predict that office space prices and rents will go down at least in short-run because the working-from-home will say with us long after the COVID-19 crisis is over. That is because more and more businesses that were forced by the crisis to experience the working from home will take a second look at WFH. They will learn about pros and cons and some will adopt the system, at least in part, for the long-run. Have you noticed how understanding and accommodating clients are when you tell them you are working from home? This acceptability is likely to have lasting effects. This will lead forward-looking businesses to invest in more reliable, more efficient and more secure WFH technologies.  

To conclude, any crisis provides a set of challenges and opportunities. It always matters how we respond. What’s after the crisis depends on how we react. We have an opportunity to develop new technologies that will keep us safer, more prepared to respond quickly to a similar crisis, implement technologies in our businesses that would help us be more efficient and also better prepared for similar crises . I think that we are on track to do just that, so, there is hope!

PATENT and IP Law Blog

  • CIONCA IP - MC1/14/2023 2:21:06 PM

    Broad specification or broad claims in a patent application?

    More

  • CIONCA IP - EC12/23/2022 9:28:33 PM

    Is Mariah Carey the “Queen of Christmas”?

    More

  • CIONCA IP - MC10/7/2022 9:33:56 PM

    Rejection of Invention or Rejection of Patent Claims?

    More

  • CIONCA IP (MC)7/13/2022 5:27:56 PM

    Who is the owner of the trademark? Priority and Senior User Disputes

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)5/6/2022 5:19:00 PM

    Documentarian

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)4/29/2022 4:56:42 PM

    An Apple from the Apple Tree

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)4/22/2022 4:44:26 PM

    Electrochemiluminescence

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)4/8/2022 4:51:08 PM

    Gametime

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (BS)4/1/2022 5:05:16 PM

    Screentime

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)3/25/2022 4:58:23 PM

    Internet Protocol Addresses

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (BS)3/16/2022 5:00:54 PM

    We TINK It Should Be Protected

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)3/4/2022 4:54:18 PM

    Tinker Bell

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)2/25/2022 5:01:34 PM

    Computer Memory

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)2/18/2022 4:22:47 PM

    Machine or Transformation

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)2/11/2022 4:52:28 PM

    Air Force 1

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)1/14/2022 4:52:22 PM

    Fees and more Fees?

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)12/17/2021 4:51:21 PM

    Royalty or Lowborn

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)12/10/2021 5:06:54 PM

    Short-Range Wireless Networks

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)12/3/2021 4:58:39 PM

    TIGHT or TITE

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)11/19/2021 4:57:10 PM

    TAG Your It!

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)11/12/2021 4:56:57 PM

    Medical Patents

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)11/5/2021 4:40:14 PM

    Authentic Army

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)10/29/2021 4:49:28 PM

    Scouting Trademarks

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)10/22/2021 4:10:03 PM

    Free Speech and Trademarks

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)10/15/2021 4:55:32 PM

    DNA of Patents

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)10/8/2021 5:02:03 PM

    Backyard Trademarks

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)10/1/2021 4:58:25 PM

    Take a seat and read about seats

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)9/24/2021 5:15:50 PM

    Let's take a ride on the Segway!

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)9/17/2021 4:57:53 PM

    An Apple off the Apple Tree

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)9/10/2021 4:59:08 PM

    VROOM VROOM VROOM

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)9/3/2021 4:56:24 PM

    On Copyrights of Annotations.

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)8/27/2021 4:55:40 PM

    Rejecting Trademark Contracts

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)8/20/2021 4:42:46 PM

    It's a Bratz Girl, in a Barbie World (Pt. 2)

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)8/13/2021 4:57:49 PM

    Personalized Medication

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)8/6/2021 4:39:04 PM

    It's a Bratz Girl, in a Barbie World

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)7/31/2021 3:21:56 AM

    Ice Cream, You Scream

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)7/23/2021 4:12:50 PM

    Cereal Killer

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)7/16/2021 5:00:45 PM

    Buy me a ring, darling

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)7/7/2021 2:52:33 PM

    Offensiveness vs Free Speech in Trademark Law

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)6/25/2021 4:45:12 PM

    Woof Woof - Trademark Law

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)6/18/2021 5:29:44 PM

    Forum Selection 101

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)6/11/2021 4:23:58 PM

    Willful v Innocent

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)5/17/2021 2:38:30 PM

    Thryv, Inc. v. Click-To-Call Technologies, LP

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)4/23/2021 5:34:02 PM

    Oracle Patent Problems

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)4/5/2021 5:38:23 PM

    Blockchain and the Expanding US Patent Landscape

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (MC)3/24/2021 2:19:11 PM

    Invention and Art Analogy

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (BR)1/19/2021 4:57:54 PM

    QuikTrip West, Inc. v. Weigel Stores, Inc.

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (AP)12/7/2020 4:06:28 PM

    St Jude Medical LLC v Snyders Heart Valve LLC

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SE)12/1/2020 5:07:58 PM

    Allen v. Cooper, Governor of North Carolina

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (JM)10/8/2020 2:57:24 PM

    Royal Crown Company Inc., Dr. Pepper/Seven Up Inc., v The Coca-Cola Company

    More

  • CIONCA IP TEAM (SG)10/6/2020 2:42:35 PM

    Apple, Inc., v. Voip-Pal.com, Inc.: Sanction Orders and Obviousness

    More

  • CIONCA IP Team (SE)9/16/2020 4:21:45 PM

    CIONCA IP Launches New Online Patent Website

    More

  • CIONCA IP Team9/15/2020 5:11:49 PM

    Comparing Apples to Apples: TTAB on In re Horizon Group USA, Inc.

    More

  • CIONCA IP Team9/3/2020 4:30:41 PM

    D2 Holdings v. House of Cards

    More

  • CIONCA IP Team8/31/2020 12:09:17 PM

    Blackbird Tech LLC, DBA Blackbird Technologies, v. Fitbit, Inc., Wahoo Fitness LLC: Obviousness

    More

  • CIONCA IP Team8/11/2020 11:56:24 AM

    Adidas AG v. Nike INC.

    More

  • CIONCA IP Team7/20/2020 7:40:21 PM

    Fitbit Inc. v. Valencell Inc.: Joint Parties in IPR Proceeding

    More

  • CIONCA IP Team7/14/2020 7:51:31 PM

    CIONCA IP Launches New Online Trademark Website

    More

  • CIONCA IP 5/19/2020 7:36:30 PM

    Uber Technologies, Inc. v. X One, Inc.: “Obvious to Try” Rationale

    More

  • Marin Cionca4/15/2020 4:41:43 PM

    The Day After COVID-19 Pandemic – Hope or Fear?

    More

  • CIONCA IP4/13/2020 9:33:36 PM

    Two of a Kind: TTAB on Shannon DeVivo v. Celeste Ortiz

    More

  • CIONCA IP3/16/2020 8:43:10 PM

    GS CleanTech Corporation v. Adkins Energy, LLC: Inequitable Conduct

    More

  • CIONCA IP3/10/2020 7:45:30 PM

    Koninklijke Philips N.V. v. Google LLC, Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft Mobile Inc.

    More

  • Marin Cionca2/9/2020 7:46:10 PM

    Analogous Prior Art or Not? A critical patent obviousness question

    More

  • CIONCA IP 1/15/2020 4:47:19 PM

    FOX Factory, Inc. v. SRAM, LLC: Presumption of Nexus

    More

  • CIONCA IP 1/9/2020 4:43:58 PM

    The Bigger Picture: TTAB’s Decision in In re James Haden, M.D., P.A.

    More

  • CIONCA IP 12/31/2019 4:29:41 PM

    The Chamberlain Group, INC. v. One World Technologies, INC.

    More

  • Marin Cionca12/9/2019 8:07:20 PM

    A “glove” approach to patent claim construction

    More

  • 11/15/2019 8:15:11 PM

    Liqwd, Inc. v. L’Oreal USA, Inc.: Objective Indicia and Copying

    More

  • CIONCA IP10/16/2019 1:28:13 PM

    To Use or Not to Use: The Statutory Period of Trademark Nonuse Prior to Presumed Abandonment

    More

  • CIONCA IP10/7/2019 5:44:50 PM

    A Decision in Henny Penny Corporation v. Frymaster LLC

    More

  • Marin Cionca9/27/2019 9:32:48 PM

    Can an Online Patent Attorney File My Patent?

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member9/4/2019 7:20:46 PM

    Guangdong Alison Hi-Tech Co. v. International Trade Commission: Objective Boundaries

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member8/19/2019 7:46:17 PM

    In re Yarnell Ice Cream, LLC: Trademark Descriptiveness and Acquired Distinction

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member8/5/2019 2:29:33 PM

    Is Speculation Enough Evidence for an Appeal?: General Electric Company v. United Technologies Corporation

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member7/5/2019 2:22:42 PM

    In re: Global IP Holdings LLC: Broadening Claims Through Reissue Applications

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member6/27/2019 7:41:52 PM

    Obviousness in a Single Prior Art Instance: Game and Technology Co., LTD., v. Activision Blizzard INC., Riot Games, INC.

    More

  • Marin Cionca6/11/2019 8:43:17 PM

    Can I Successfully License My Invention?

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member5/20/2019 8:25:57 PM

    PTAB Designates Cases as Precedential

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member5/7/2019 7:13:41 PM

    The Federal Circuit Defines a Technological Invention

    More

  • Marin Cionca4/17/2019 3:48:33 PM

    What Qualifies as Proper Use in Commerce Claim in a USPTO Trademark Application?

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member4/3/2019 7:25:37 PM

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Designates Three Decisions Precedential

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member3/21/2019 3:49:43 PM

    Defining Inherency: A Decision in Personal Web Technologies, LLC v. Apple, Inc.

    More

  • Marin Cionca3/1/2019 9:36:50 PM

    USPTO Director Andrei Iancu Visits Orange County!

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member2/19/2019 7:12:46 PM

    Revised Guidance by USPTO on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility and Examining Computer-Implemented Functional Claims

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member2/5/2019 7:22:27 PM

    TiVo Puts Tivoli on Pause: TTAB’s Decision in TiVo Brands LLC v. Tivoli, LLC

    More

  • Marin Cionca1/23/2019 9:45:30 PM

    Patent Law Alert: All Sales of the Invention, Including Secret Sales May Invalidate a Patent

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member1/4/2019 4:12:21 PM

    In re: Tropp: New Matter in a Continuation Can Be Relevant to Written Description Requirement

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member12/18/2018 6:12:48 PM

    Schlafly v. The Saint Louis Brewery: The Registration of Merely a Surname

    More

  • Marin Cionca12/8/2018 8:35:06 PM

    IP Assets - Procurement, Enforcement, Monetization

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member11/19/2018 1:07:51 PM

    The Appeals Process

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member10/16/2018 6:50:31 PM

    A Double-Edged Sword: Benefit of Priority or Longer Patent Term

    More

  • Marin Cionca10/1/2018 7:42:12 PM

    Can I Register a Color as a Trademark or Service Mark?

    More

  • CIONCA Team Member9/17/2018 4:33:20 PM

    Trademarks and Likelihood of Confusion: Federal Circuit’s Decision in In re: Detroit Athletic Co.

    More

  • Staff8/31/2018 7:26:58 PM

    Patent Claim Interpretation By Federal Circuit's on Facebook's Contiguous Image Layout

    More

  • Staff8/16/2018 4:24:01 PM

    Correcting or Changing a Patent After Issue Through the Central Reexamination Unit

    More

  • Marin Cionca7/31/2018 6:50:05 PM

    My patent expired? Can I still sue for patent infringement?

    More

  • 7/3/2018 7:44:33 PM

    Impax Laboratories Inc. v Lannett Holdings Inc. on Claim Invalidation

    More

  • CIONCA IP5/17/2018 9:54:58 PM

    Marin Cionca Presents at OCIPLA May 2018 Luncheon

    More

  • 5/4/2018 7:37:51 PM

    The Hague System for Protection of International Designs

    More

  • CIONCA Staff4/20/2018 5:25:25 PM

    USPTO Changes Examination Procedure Pertaining to Subject Matter Eligibility in View of Berkheimer v. HP, Inc.

    More

  • CIONCA Staff4/13/2018 9:10:04 PM

    It Take Two to Tango: Knowles v. Iancu, a Standing Dispute in a PTAB Decision

    More

  • 3/20/2018 12:50:05 PM

    Andrei Iancu - New Director of the USPTO

    More

  • 3/8/2018 1:25:46 PM

    Proceed with Caution: Consider Carefully when Narrowing Claims for Allowance

    More

  • CIONCA Team2/16/2018 4:07:48 PM

    Fashion and Intellectual Property

    More

  • CIONCA Team1/17/2018 8:12:06 PM

    A Fork in the Road: Production or Protection?

    More

  • 1/2/2018 7:47:09 PM

    The Lanham Act: Disparagement Provision Violates the First Amendment

    More

  • 12/26/2017 6:04:25 PM

    CIONCA Sets Foot in San Francisco

    More

  • 12/1/2017 8:01:27 PM

    An Introduction to Patent Cooperation Treaty Applications

    More

  • 11/17/2017 1:24:20 PM

    An Introduction to Patent Searches

    More

  • 11/10/2017 6:47:44 PM

    An Introduction to Design Patent Applications

    More

  • Staff11/3/2017 4:20:04 PM

    An Introduction to Provisional Patent Applications

    More

  • Staff9/28/2017 7:27:22 PM

    CIONCA

    More

  • staff9/27/2017 5:12:07 PM

    CIONCA - Patent and Trademark Law Attorney

    More

  • staff9/27/2017 5:00:12 PM

    Claim Indefiniteness During Patent Pre-Issuance: Define Your Invention, Not Just Your Audience

    More

  • staff9/15/2017 9:33:30 PM

    cionca

    More

  • CIONCA Staff8/20/2017 3:16:11 PM

    CIONCA on Patents: Think Twice Before Suing for Patent Infringement and Fight Back when Unreasonably Sued

    More

  • CIONCA - Staff8/9/2017 5:39:58 PM

    Patent Case Study: The Novelty Of An “Invention” Is NOT Enough To Make It Patentable

    More

  • CIONCA - Staff6/28/2017 8:26:07 PM

    Patent Law: Conditions Precedent May Expose Method Claim to Broad Interpretation During Prosecution

    More

  • CIONCA - Staff6/15/2017 5:32:14 PM

    Patent Law: Challenging the Patent Claim Definiteness Requirement

    More

  • Marin Cionca4/25/2017 9:48:49 PM

    Monetization of Patents: How to Make Money with Patents

    More

  • Marin Cionca2/21/2017 12:30:52 AM

    Software Patent Law Update: Federal Circuit Finds Graphical User Interface Patentable

    More

  • Marin Cionca9/15/2016 9:47:39 PM

    Patent Law Alert: Federal Circuit Opens Door for More Software Patents

    More

  • Marin Cionca9/6/2016 9:26:12 PM

    Patent Case Law: New Example of Software as Patentable Subject Matter

    More

  • Iris Kim, PhD6/1/2016 7:04:50 PM

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board Designates Five More Decisions as Precedential

    More

  • Marin Cionca5/17/2016 8:57:23 PM

    Patent Claims Rejection Based on Inherency

    More

  • Iris Kim, PhD3/25/2016 8:34:14 PM

    Challenging a Claim’s Validity with Different Standards of Claim Construction

    More

  • I. Kim PhD2/26/2016 8:47:51 PM

    The U.S. Supreme Court Will Review Claim Construction Standards and Institution Decision Reviewability.

    More

  • Marin Cionca2/16/2016 6:34:53 PM

    In IPRs, patentees have to show that substitute patent claims are patentable

    More

  • M. Cionca and I. Kim2/4/2016 5:55:16 PM

    Software Inventions Are Still Patentable!

    More

  • Marin1/28/2016 9:15:16 PM

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board Designates Two Decisions as Precedential

    More

  • Marin1/28/2016 9:10:56 PM

    How Unpredictability Can Affect Obviousness Challenges

    More

  • Marin11/19/2015 2:13:05 PM

    An Innovator’s Dilemma: Design or Utility Patent?

    More

  • Marin11/18/2015 7:31:35 PM

    When Is a Thesis Prior Art?

    More

  • Marin11/18/2015 6:15:40 PM

    Covered Business Method Claims Are Not Required to Particularly Target Financial Industry

    More

  • Marin11/18/2015 6:11:11 PM

    PTAB Decisions Give Examples of Patent Eligible Subject Matter

    More

Marin Cionca, Esq.

Registered Patent Attorney

USPTO Reg. No. 63899

VERIFY

CONTACT INFO

About CIONCA® IP Law firm: We are an Orange County, CA based boutique intellectual property firm with a focus on patent and trademark application, prosecution, opinion, licensing and IP enforcement services, offering its IP services primarily at flat fee rates. We serve local OC clients, as well as clients throughout US and international clients.

HOME               

Let’s talk!

We’d love to hear from you…we just need a little info
about your plans to take over the world!

P.S…Feel free to call us! (800)985-9198