As the 2026 Winter Olympics captivate audiences, one sport in particular―curling―stands out as the perfect metaphor for the challenge of prosecuting AI inventions before the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Both arenas demand foresight, adaptability, and strategic thinking, whether it’s guiding a stone across the ice or shepherding an AI patent application through evolving legal terrain. Victory, in either case, belongs to those who embrace teamwork and anticipate the unexpected. Curling is often misjudged as slow or simple, but insiders know that it’s a chess match on ice, where teams slide polished granite stones across pebbled sheets, aiming for the house—the scoring target—while simultaneously disrupting the opposition’s setup. Wins are earned through foresight, precision, and the ability to pivot strategy as conditions change.
Just as innovation in curling equipment and strategy can shift the outcome on the ice, success in AI patent prosecution hinges on ingenuity and adaptability. Practitioners must respond to shifting legal guidance much like curlers adapt to changing ice, always ready to refine claims and strategies in response to examiner feedback. For further details, see our blog covering the USPTO’s recent guidance on subject matter eligibility for software inventions, emphasizing the need for well-defined technical solutions in claims and specifications.