Left-Brain Analysis Meets Right-Brain Creativity

Operating at the intersection where left-brain analysis meets right-brain creativity, Andy O’Brien’s 2Wit blawg takes an innovative and refreshing approach to design patent reporting. 2Wit tells the story of design patents—from what makes a design patent unique to the hottest IPR cases and design disputes—through a completely visual medium. This “anti-blawg” approach eschews lengthy legalese and extensive footnotes to create bite-sized, shareable content that harnesses the impact of great design to educate readers and clients about the laws designed to protect those assets.

A Conversation with Andy O'Brien:

Andy, tell us about your patent “anti-blawg.”

The idea behind the blawg is a reporting blawg that provides update on all aspects of design patents. We do it in a way that is both analytical and creative.

There are other patent blawgs. What’s unique about your blawg?

We usually use the figures and the images from the design patents to tell the story. While there are minimal markups on the figures, we really rely on the appearance of those figures to tell the readers what they need to know. Lots of images.

Who would benefit from the anti-blawg?

We think readers who will benefit would be anyone who is interested in receiving legal updates that pertain to design patents. Mostly those who will find the value in a service that reports in a way that can be quickly understood and digested without having to dive into the less germane legal nuances that are often reported in legal cases.

How do you select which patents to report?

We review all the patents published weekly. There are typically over 500. We pick out the most interesting. We put them in categories based on why people might want to learn about them. Some might have a targeted consumer, others are really revolutionary and change their field in an interesting way. There are other reasons as well.

What are kinds of resources are available on the blawg?

Most of the blawg is based on these reports and updates. But we hope to provide more in-depth reporting on case analysis by way of webinars, videos, and podcasts. A lot of the posts, the patents we report on, will include a link to the applicant website, if available, and a link to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website to the specific patent referenced.

Let’s talk for a minute about Shook’s patent capabilities?

Shook has a full-service IP group with more than 75 IP attorneys and multiple agents and analysts with advanced degrees in biochemistry, immunochemistry, engineering, pharmacology, toxicology, computer software and more. The firm handles all aspects of utility and design patent work, from startups to Fortune 50 companies. This includes application, prep, prosecution, and litigation, including enforcement and defense, as well as counseling and portfolio review.

The blawg is live February 26, 2018.