New USPTO Fee Schedule To Take Effect on March 19th

On January 18, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) issued new rules setting and adjusting patent fees. Under the America Invents Act (AIA), the PTO has increased authority to set and change the fees it charges in order…

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David J. Kappos to Step Down as Director of the USPTO in January 2013

The director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced earlier this week he will leave the position in January 2013 after holding the position for more than three years. During his tenure, Kappos oversaw the implementation of…

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How to Speed Up Issuance of a Patent at the United States Patent and Trademark Office

While obtaining a patent can be a rather lengthy process, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) does in fact provide a number of tools and procedures for speeding up prosecution of a patent application. Potential procedures for speeding up prosecution…

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First Ever Satellite Patent Office Opens in Detroit

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) opened the first ever satellite patent office in Detroit, Michigan amid fanfare on July 13, 2012. USPTO Director David Kappos swore-in the office’s first seven USPTO Board Judges who will preside over…

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USPTO Cautions Trademark Customers

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), after receiving numerous inquiries and complaints, has posted a warning directly on its Trademark homepage to highlight the problem of non-USPTO solicitations that resemble official USPTO communications. According to the Office, private…

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New Ex Parte Appeal Rules

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has set forth new rules regarding the ex parte appeal process before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.  The new rules took effect on January 23, 2012, with a majority of the…

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A New Way to Obtain your Patents Faster

The America Invents Act creates a new way for inventors to shorten the time it takes to obtain a patent.  This is called Prioritized Examination.  Under the PE program, an applicant pays an extra $4800 fee ($2400 for small entities)…

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US House of Representatives Passes the America Invents Act

On June 23, 2011, the House of Representatives passed HR 1249, commonly known as the America Invents Act, which was mentioned in a previous post here (112th Congress Becomes the Fourth To Attempt to Tackle Patent Reform).  Of note, the…

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Woodard, Emhardt Makes Donation to Improve Patent Searching Terminals at Purdue University

Woodard, Emhardt recently made a donation to enhance the PubWEST patent searching terminals at the Siegesmund Engineering library at Purdue University.  The PubWEST system is only available to the public at designated Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs) and is…

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Update to New Rule for Prioritized Examination

We previously reported a new rule issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) regarding prioritized examination.  A copy of this blog posting can be found here.  Briefly, this new rule allows an applicant to have a patent…

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Federal Circuit Hears Oral Arguments in the Myriad Gene Patent Case

On April 4, 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard oral arguments in Association for Molecular Pathology, et al. v. USPTO, Myriad Genetics, et al.  This case involves the controversial topic of whether human genes qualify…

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USPTO Issues Final Rule to Implement Prioritized Examination

On April 4, 2011, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a final rule regarding prioritized examination (Track I).  The purpose of the rule is to provide a final disposition within twelve months of prioritized status being granted. …

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