With the major announcement on May 18, 2013 by the California Attorney General that its microstamping provision would be immediately effective, we’ve been looking at what this means for manufacturers and sellers of handguns in California.  We provided an overview through our Orchid Advisory (dated July 5, 2013) and an overview of the qualifications to get on the California “Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale” (blog dated July 8, 2013).  But, we’re not doing justice to this topic, if we don’t get into the patent at the heart of it all. The California microstamping provision was signed into law in 2007, including a provision that it wouldn’t take effect until the microstamping technology became available to more than one manufacturer unencumbered by any patent restrictions. The patent with the claim to the sought-after technology was held since 2003 by assignee Identification Dynamics, LLC (Pottstown, PA).  US Patent No. 7,111,423, filed May 1, 2003, granted September 26, 2006, was credited to Inventors Todd E. Lizotte and Orest Ohar.  {We’ve added the Patent document to our on-line Orchid Advisors research library.}  Related US Patent documents go back to 1999, and in one article from 2007, it represents that Mr. Lizotte helped to invent the technology in late 1993.  In many articles on line, Mr. Lizotte is quoted as saying that he wanted the microstamping technology to be free and available to all manufacturers. In November 2010, it appeared that the patent hurdle would be overcome through an expiration of the patent due to a failure to pay a maintenance fee, but a filing was made for an extension by a third party group. There doesn’t appear to be much information available on the Internet between the extension and the May 18, 2013 announcement.