Giving Thanks in 2025: What IP Practitioners are Grateful for This Year

This year has brought change and disruption across the board, and that certainly holds true in the realm of intellectual property. With a new U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director in Office, and a new presidential administration pulling the strings, has come significant change. While many welcome the shake-up, others view this rapid shift as a challenge, and that is reflected in the comments below. However, one common thread seems to run through most submissions we received this year, and that is that IP practitioners are thankful for the companionship they’ve found in the IP bar and the fellowship they feel towards their colleagues.

From everyone at IPWatchdog,

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Paul Bartkowski, Bartkowski PLLC

“Bartkowski PLLC is thankful for the friendship, camaraderie, and teamwork that we enjoy within our firm, as well as with our co-counsel and clients. On a broader level, the firm is thankful that the current Administration has prioritized re-establishing a strong patent system that rewards inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs. We look forward to working with our clients to further those objectives!”

Jim Carmichael, Carmichael IP

“I am thankful for Director Squires, Deputy Director Stewart, and new management at the Central Reexamination Unit.”

Stephanie Curcio, NLPatent

“I’m grateful for the openness I’m seeing across the IP community this year. When I first started working at the intersection of AI and IP, these conversations were niche and often met with hesitation. Over the past year, that’s shifted. The entire IP ecosystem has a newfound curiosity, thoughtfulness, and genuine interest in how technology can (and should) be leveraged to transform the profession. I’m thankful for the honest conversations I’ve had with countless IP friends and stakeholders who are willing to question old assumptions, share what they’re learning, and contribute to a more evolved profession. IP exists to protect creativity and support progress; in a year defined by rapid technological change, that mission resonates more than ever! It’s certainly one I stand behind and am thankful for.”

Matthew Rizzolo, Ropes & Gray

“I’m thankful that I get to work in an area that remains foundational to the strength and competitiveness of the U.S. economy. A well-balanced intellectual property system fuels innovation and job creation, and playing even a small part of that is a privilege. The issues we as attorneys confront in counseling, litigation, licensing, and policy help shape America’s leading role in science, technology, and business.  I’m also thankful that IP law is a field where you never stop learning – every year brings new technologies, new legal questions, and new challenges (and this year was no exception). That constant evolution demands and fosters intellectual curiosity, keeping the work meaningful. But above all, I’m thankful for the people in this community – colleagues, clients, judges, and yes, even opposing counsel.  Intellectual property law attracts some of the most thoughtful, hardworking, and intellectually rigorous practitioners anywhere in the legal profession. Even when we may vigorously disagree on the issues, we do it with professionalism, mutual respect, and collegiality.”

John Rogitz, Rogitz & Associates

“This year offers the IP community several reasons to be thankful. First and foremost, many of us are encouraged by the change in leadership and direction at the USPTO, particularly with respect to the patentability of AI-related technologies. We are also seeing meaningful efforts to curb the more harmful impacts of IPR practice. The USPTO cannot cure every structural defect in our patent system, but the Office is making real progress—and demonstrating through action, not just words, that it intends to live up to its role as America’s innovation agency.

There is still a long way to go, but the combination of these administrative efforts and the smoldering of patent reform in Congress show that the pendulum might finally be swinging back toward the middle. For practitioners, inventors, and businesses alike, that shift is something to be genuinely thankful for.”

Lynn E. Rzonca, Ballard Spahr

“I am thankful for the IP professionals with whom I have the privilege of working. Here at Ballard Spahr, their commitment to excellence and client service inspires me every day. And in my interactions with IP attorneys at other firms, I see our profession’s dedication to civility and decorum. Even when we approach a situation from different perspectives, members of the IP bar treat one another as respected professionals.

To my colleagues at the firm and at others, thank you for upholding high standards in our legal community.”

Vaishali Udupa, McDermott Will & Schulte

“This year, I find myself especially grateful for the resilience, dedication, and spirit of service that continue to define the IP community especially in a moment when stability is far from guaranteed.

Currently, career employees at the USPTO are navigating an ever changing, stressful working environment. Yet even in the face of these challenges, my former colleagues at the USPTO continue to show up every day with unwavering commitment to our country, to the integrity of the patent and trademark system, and to the innovation ecosystem that drives economic growth. Their professionalism and perseverance are a testament to the values that make our field strong. So, when I reflect on what there is to be thankful for in IP law and practice this year, I am especially thankful for the examiners, judges, attorneys, analysts, and staff whose work ensures that innovation in America continues to thrive. I am grateful for these dedicated public servants for everything they continue to do, often without public recognition, to support inventors and safeguard the engine of progress.

In a year marked by uncertainty and immense change, their dedication is something we can all be deeply thankful for and there is no other word to describe their performance other than outstanding.”