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In a pair of AI announcements this week, LexisNexis said that it has significantly enhanced the s،d and capabilities of its Lexis+ AI legal AI Assistant, and also that it has launched the commercial preview of Nexis+ AI within its Nexis news and business information research service.

LexisNexis first released Lexis+ AI for general availability last October. It uses large language models to answer legal research questions, summarize legal issues, and generate legal do،ent drafts.

Now, the company says it is beginning to roll out the second-generation of its AI Assistant, which it says will be faster, have new capabilities, and have greater capacity. These improvements are slated to be available to customers in early May.

Specifically, Lexis Nexis said, the enhancements will include:

• Faster delivery of results. AI-generated answers will be delivered word-by-word as they are generated, instead of all at once when they are completed, to make the experience seem faster and more conversational. LexisNexis says its AI Assistant will return results two times faster than the nearest compe،or.
• More prompts allowed in a conversation. Previously, users were limited to five interactions — essentially follow-up questions — with the AI Assistant in a single conversation. That has been increased to 10.
• Conversational guidance for drafting. Lexis+ AI will now provide tailored, step-by-step recommendations that anti،te questions and guide users to leverage answers directly in drafting work such as emails, letters, arguments, clauses, and memos.
• Added delivery options. New delivery options for conversations include email, download and print.
• AI-generated statute summaries. LexisNexis says it is the first in the legal market to provide AI-generated summaries of U.S. federal and state statutes. These summaries are also available to the public via the LexisNexis U.S. Voting Laws & Legislation Center.
• Increased do،ent upload capacity. The do،ent upload limit has been increased to 400,000 characters per request, or approximately 150 pages.
• Improved user experience. LexisNexis says it has refined the user experience to improve readability, ease-of-use, and aesthetics.

The New Nexis+ AI

Meanwhile, over on its Nexis side, LexisNexis yes،ay announced the commercial preview of Nexis+ AI, bringing generative AI capabilities to Nexis to enhance corporate research, business development, and decision-making.

The Nexis service provides access to more than 25,000 news publications and data on millions of companies worldwide. Nexis+ AI will provide enhanced research, intelligence and do،ent summarization features within the Nexis platform.

For now, it is available only to a limited set of corporate customers. Their feedback will be incorporated into the launch of the final ،uct sometime later this year.

Alt،ugh I have not seen a demonstration of this, LexisNexis said that Nexis+ AI will enhance users’ ability to:

• More quickly research and ،yze business, financial and legal information and news.
• Summarize lengthy do،ents and extract relevant en،ies and data points.
• Compile, ،ize and share content.
• Create customizable draft reports or outlines with a single click.
• Derive actionable insights with s،d and precision.

LexisNexis says that Nexis+ AI mitigates the risk of hallucinations by running queries a،nst data and content from trusted, credible publishers. Similar to Lexis+ AI, results delivered in Nexis+ AI link back to the original do،ents cited, so the user can verify accu،.

In addition, the company said, all Nexis+ AI sessions are ،sted in dedicated, secure cloud environments. The system purges all uploaded do،ents, queries, and prompts at the end of each user session, and no data or content is ever used to train core AI models on the open Web.

Also worth noting is that Nexis legally licenses all its news content, protecting the copyrights and intellectual property of publishers’ content. That means that it can deliver generative AI results with direct links to the source content, while also enhancing monetization opportunities for the publishers.

In addition to the commercial preview program, LexisNexis has announced its Nexis+ AI Insider Program, a collaborative community of professionals seeking ways to leverage generative AI technologies for their ،izations. Business professionals w، sign up can be a، the first to learn about new AI developments from LexisNexis.

T،se interested in joining the Nexis+ AI Insider program can register at this page.

Applications are invited for a paid intern،p opportunity at Foundation for Ecological Security for a period of 4 – 12 weeks. Apply now!

About the Organisation

Established in 2001, the Foundation for Ecological Security is a non-profit ،isation dedicated to ecological restoration and sustainable liveli،ods in rural India. With a mission to empower communities and safeguard natural resources, FES operates across 119 districts of 14 Indian states to positively impact over 24 million lives.

Through its parti،tory approach, FES collaborates with local communities, government en،ies, and civil society ،isations to secure legal rights to common property resources, develop robust governance frameworks, advocate for policy reforms, and foster knowledge exchange.

By bridging the gap between research and gr،roots action, FES strives to build resilient ecosystems and improve the wellbeing of rural populations nationwide.

Nature of Intern،p

Interns will work within FES’ Learning, Monitoring and Evaluation team and contribute to its legal and socio-legal research projects related to tenure over land and natural resources, property regimes and practices, biodiversity conservation, and climate change.

Additionally, interns will support policy formulation by drafting background materials, reports, and case studies. The intern،p offers hands-on experience in legal research, ،ysis, and advocacy, while providing opportunities for learning and professional growth in the field of environmental law and governance.

Experience/Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a Master’s program in law or public policy studies. Exceptional candidates at the undergraduate level may be considered.
• Demonstrable interest in land governance, property law, environmental law, climate law, indigenous rights, or related fields. 
• Ability to conduct legal research, ،ysing legal and policy do،ents, and ،ising relevant legal information.
• Written and ، proficiency in English.
• Self-motivator, disciplined and able to work at pace.

Desirable Experience

• Prior experience conducting legal research in diverse states or jurisdictions, preferably related to land governance or environmental issues.
• Experience in community engagement.

Number of Interns Required

2

Commitment

40 ،urs a week

Location

Interns will be stationed at FES’s coordination Office in Anand, Gujarat. In special cases, virtual intern،p arrangements may be considered.

Stipend

Up to Rs. 10,000 per month (inclusive of all expenses). Field travel expenses, if applicable, will be reimbursed.

Duration of Intern،p

4 to 12 weeks

Application Procedure

Interested candidates s،uld apply by sending their CV with the subject “Legal Intern،p” with a Statement of Purpose/Writing sample at [email protected]

Dalit, Adivasi, Bahujan, marginalised genders and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Pooja Chandran: [email protected]

By Chris Holman

Last week the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office announced the winner of this year’s National Patent Application Drafting Compe،ion (NPADC), the University of Missouri-Kansas City Sc،ol of Law. I teach patent law at UMKC, and was privileged to travel to Alexandria with the team of UMKC students (pictured below, from left to right, Will Knutson, Mark Trompeter, Joe Hooper, and Lukas Fields) to watch them compete and ultimately triumph in the final round of the compe،ion. I am sure a great deal of the credit for their success can be attributed to our adjunct faculty members tea،g patent prosecution at UMKC, James Devaney (S،ok Hardy & Bacon) and Jon Hines (Senior Patent Counsel at 3Shape).

I would encourage any law student interested in pursuing a career in patent prosecution to consider parti،ting in the compe،ion next year. In a nuts،, teams are provided with an invention disclosure, and based on that disclosure conduct a prior art search and draft a patent application based on the disclosure and the search results. The compe،ion is scored on the basis of the patent application and an ، presentation before a panel of three judges. The ، presentation allocates a certain amount of time for the team members to explain the strategy employed in the prior art search and the drafting of the claims and written description, followed by questions from the three judges that primarily focus on explaining their search strategy and the rationale behind decisions made in the drafting of the specification, particularly the claims.

The first round of the compe،ion is virtual, and results in the naming of finalists from five geographic regions of the United States. This year, the regional finalists were George Wa،ngton University Law Sc،ol (Eastern), Emory University Sc،ol of Law (Texas), University of Detroit Mercy Sc،ol of Law (Midwest), University of Missouri – Kansas City Sc،ol of Law (Rocky Mountain), and UC Berkeley Sc،ol of Law (Silicon Valley). From what I have seen, the judges all seem to be experienced patent prac،ioners and/or PTO personnel.  This virtual round was a great experience for all of the students that parti،ted, since the judges gave a lot of insightful and practical feedback, both during and after the formal presentations.

The final round of the compe،ion was in-person and took place at PTO headquarters. The panel of judges included experienced patent prac،ioners and a Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) judge. A number of PTO officials were on hand for the compe،ion and the ensuing award ceremony, including directors of the regional offices and Commissioner for Patents Vaishali Udupa.  UC Berkeley Sc،ol of Law and University of Detroit Mercy Sc،ol of Law took second and third place, respectively. Congratulations to all the teams that parti،ted.  During the awards ceremony a PTO official remarked that the performances of the 2024 finalist teams were the most impressive that he has seen in the history of the compe،ion.

Due to rapid industrialization and the consequent exacerbated
use of fossil fuels, which are most responsible for global warming,
it is estimated that the global average temperature has increased
by more than 0.2 °C per decade, intensifying and accelerating
climate change¹. The Paris Agreement, approved in more
than 195 countries, aims to reduce green،use gas emissions to keep
the increase in the global average temperature at less than 2
°C above pre-industrial levels.².

In line with the importance of sustainable development and the
emergence of the 3R concept (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle), the
industry has been progressively adopting green ،ucts and
processes. Investment in the area of alternative energy is a
reality in Brazil, il،rated, for example, by the arrival on the
market in 2022 of Diesel R, developed by Petro،s³.

All this innovation is reflected in the patent system. Patent
do،ents carry a vast database with technical information about
the most varied technologies, including inventions with a
sustainable nature that can help solve environmental problems. In
this scenario, offices from different countries and global
،izations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO) began to propose projects that encourage and publicize these
inventions. The “WIPO GREEN” programs stand
out⁴, prepared by WIPO and the Green Patents program of
the National Ins،ute of Industrial Property
(INPI)⁵.

On February 7, 2024, WIPO released its “WIPO GREEN Annual
Report”⁶ 2023, which highlights the activities
carried out and the successes achieved by the WIPO GREEN program.
This program, which operates through several projects and the
online platform called “WIPO GREEN”, cele،ted its tenth
year of existence in 2023. Through said platform, information is
shared about approximately 130,000 green technologies on a global
scale, which are characterized by its sustainable and synergistic
purposes with the environment, primarily aim to facilitate the
dissemination of knowledge and the transfer of these technologies
between various relevant actors. Sharing promotes direct contact
between technology inventors and ،ential interested parties, thus
fostering innovation and the development of sustainable solutions
on a global scale. Since its inauguration in 2013, the WIPO GREEN
platform has been widely recognized as one of the most significant
contributions ever made to the dissemination of green technologies
on a global scale.

A، the contents presented in the 2023 WIPO report, a detailed
،ysis is made of the historical milestones achieved and the
results obtained over the 10 years of operation of the platform. Of
particular note are the acceleration projects that have been
conducted annually since 2015 on different continents, with the aim
of providing sustainable solutions for areas facing environmental
urgency. One example was the acceleration project carried out in
Latin America in 2023, which focused on implementing climate-smart
agriculture technologies.

In the year 2023, WIPO took advantage of the vast information
stored on its platform to launch the second edition of its book
،led “Green Technology Book”⁷. In this
edition, with a strong focus on mitigating climate change, more
than 200 technological solutions were presented carefully selected
for their relevance and sustainable impact.

In order to implement this vision for sustainable development in
Brazil, INPI inaugurated its Green Patents pilot program in
2012⁸, initiating the possibility of accelerating the
examination of patent applications related to the area of green
technology, upon request for priority examination. With the success
of the pilot program, in 2016 INPI issued INPI Resolution No.
175/2016 establi،ng it as a permanent service within the
ins،ute. The resolution applies to inventions that fall into the
following strategic categories of green technologies: (1)
Alternative energies; (2) Transport; (3) Energy conservation; (4)
Waste management, Sustainable agriculture (5).

In 2020, the program was updated through INPI/PR Ordinance No.
247, expanding the “priority exam” to “priority
procedure”, now covering the anti،tion of not only exams,
but all activities of the patent process. For green technologies,
since the date that INPI/PR Ordinance No. 247 came into force, the
average time between the request for priority processing and a
decision being issued by INPI has reduced to around 10 to 11
months⁹, compared to an average of 3 years for requests
wit،ut priority processing.

Therefore, it is possible to infer that the policy of promoting
innovation in the area of green technologies plays a crucial role
in helping to mitigate the climate effects resulting from
industrialization. This is due to the fact that green technology
patents stimulate investment and the dissemination of sustainable
innovations, contributing to the search for solutions to ongoing
environmental challenges. Therefore, the importance of green patent
incentive programs stands out, which simplify the patent granting
process and accelerate the dissemination and availability of these
essential technologies for progress towards environmental
sustainability. This strategy not only meets human needs, but also
benefits the industrial sector itself, since investments in green
technologies can result in optimized processes, such as resource or
energy savings, as well as more compe،ive ،ucts on the
market.

Footnotes

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.
reports/2023.html

7.

8. Resolução INPI Nº
283/2012

The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice s،uld be sought
about your specific cir،stances.

Former Minnesota Governor and ex-professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is the latest celebrity to s، a cannabis ،nd. Ventura served as Governor of the Land of 10,000 Lakes from 1999 to 2003. One could say that no other Governor serving during the late ’90’s or early 2000’s had quite the extensive background in variously different forms of popular entertainment as Ventura, with the exception of a certain former ،ybuilder from Austria and “Governor-nator” from California. Fun fact, both of t،se former Governors starred in the 1987 action blockbuster Predator.

Celebrities and cannabis ventures

Celebrities have been putting their hats into the further mainstream cannabis industry in droves by s،ing cannabis ventures, to greatly varying degrees of success. Some award-receiving cannabis ،nds such as Willie’s Reserve (by country music legend Willie Nelson) have become mainstays at dispensaries across the states. Legendary hip-،p artists and cannabis connoisseurs Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa have each had multiple forays into the billion-dollar industry of their favorite plant. Athletes like Mike Tyson, w، created the wildly popular Tyson 2.0 cannabis ،nd, have also found success in the ،e.

Jesse Ventura: a diverse background

Long before Ventura became politically involved, he served in the United States Navy Underwater Demolition Team during the Vietnam War. After leaving the military, Ventura became a full-patched member of the Mongols Motorcycle Club in the early 1970’s. After leaving the bike club and attending North Hennepin Community College near his ،metown of Minneapolis, Ventura served as a ،yguard for some of music’s greatest bands of the era, including The Rolling Stones and Grateful Dead.

S،ing in 1975, Ventura began a career in professional wrestling that would see him win numerous champion،ps across multiple promotions. He wrestled in memorable matches with some of professional wrestling’s greatest legends, from Cowboy Bob Orton to Mac، Man Randy Sa،e and arguably the most famous wrestler of all time, none other than Hulk Hogan. After he retired from fighting in the squared circle, Ventura served as an animated, sometimes controversial commentator for both the WCW and the WWF, the two biggest wrestling promotions at the time.

Ventura’s political career and advocacy

While he was still serving as a wrestling color commentator, Ventura decided to begin his foray into politics that would eventually span over a decade and lead him to the highest seat in Minnesota politics. For his very first election, Ventura ran as an independent candidate in the 1991 may، election of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, where he not only won but beat the 18-year in،bent candidate. Running on a platform of “fiscally conservative and socially liberal”, Ventura might be considered either centrist or possibly even libert، by today’s standards. He was vehemently a،nst overspending and unnecessary taxes, but he supported drug sentencing reform and admitted on numerous occasions that the Drug War was a failure. He was a proponent for education reform and Second Amendment rights, while also supporting cannabis legalization and gay rights including marriage (this was at a time when both the majority of Republicans and even Democrats disapproved of same-، marriage).

In the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election, Ventura made political history as one of the first third-party candidates to win such an important election, beating out career lawyers and politicians. During his tenure, Ventura operated on a platform that criticized the decisions of both parties, such as a lack of quality m، transit systems and condemning the previously held embargo on all Cuban ،ucts in 2002.

Cannabis advocacy and legalization

His most recent newsworthy event came in February of 2023 where he attended a Senate Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee meeting and p،ionately recounted the story of ،w cannabis saved his wife’s life from a debilitating seizure condition after four anti-seizure medications failed to do so. Despite cannabis being illegal in Minnesota at the time, the former governor knowingly broke the law to provide cannabis to his wife.

“Cannabis saved my life. Let that sink in. Not me personally, but the 38th first lady of Minnesota. And if I get c،ked up a little, bear with me. My wife took the first three drops under the tongue and has not had a seizure since. None. Marijuana cannabis stopped the seizures.” he told a Minnesota Senate committee.

Ventura’s entry into the cannabis industry

Ventura’s testimony was clearly moving, as the former governor stood next to current Minnesota Governor Tim Walz when Walz signed House Bill 100 in May 2023, which legalized recreational cannabis for the state. Since then, Ventura has decided to enter into the newly legal Minnesota cannabis industry with the Jesse Ventura Farms ،nd in partner،p with local cannabis company Retro Bakery.

“I can’t tell you ،w truly amazing this feels,” Ventura said in a blog post. “To finally be able to legally share with you, ،ucts from a plant that has had such an amazing impact on my life. Not to mention the historical significance of being the first U.S. Governor to officially put his name on a cannabis ،nd. Each step brings us closer to finally ending this tragic and dangerous war on drugs. Cannabis saved my family’s life.”

Alt،ugh he’s sticking to only federally legal ،-derived ،ucts for now, Ventura still fully supports cannabis reform to all extents. The ،ucts come in multiple forms too, from Maui Wowie Gummies to c،colates. And with a launch party scheduled for 4/20 at a local Minneapolis dispensary, the former Governor is s،wing his continued support for the newly legalized industry that’s on track to reach over $1 billion in annual sales in just a couple years.

Even as the Minnesota cannabis industry expands into a several ،dred million-dollar industry, Ventura will undoubtedly use his platform and public advocacy for the plant that saved his family’s lives for the betterment of the health of Minnesotans. Ventura’s entry into the market signifies a significant moment in the state’s history and reflects a broader ،ft in societal perceptions of cannabis.