Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) draft plan sets priorities to strengthen the USPTO, drive innovation, and support economic growth. The USPTO recently announced that its draft Strategic Plan for fiscal years (“FY”) 2014-2018 has been posted for public review and comment on the USPTO website…
Washington, D.C. — Using information gathered from the After Final Consideration Pilot (“AFCP”), as well as input from stakeholders and examiners obtained through the Request for Continued Examination (“RCE”) outreach initiative, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) launched the After Final Consideration Pilot 2.0 (“AFCP 2.0”) on May 19,…
Washington, D.C. — The Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) finds the number of patent infringement suits and defendants has risen substantially in recent years. Some potential causes of this increase include vague, overbroad patents, the potential for large monetary awards from the courts and the increased perception of intellectual property as…
Alexandria, Virginia – On Wednesday, October 23, 2013, the U.S. Patent Office (“USPTO”) will hold a one-day seminar on using the Madrid Protocol for filing an international application and maintaining an international registration. The target audience is practitioners who are already familiar with and have used the Madrid Protocol. The…
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Patent Office (“USPTO”) and federal courts may be affected by a government shutdown, which will begin tomorrow if Congress does not enact a continuing resolution to fund government operations today. The federal court system will not be affected immediately. During the first 10 business days…
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) is seeking public comment on amendments to trademark registrations with respect to identification of goods and services which may be necessary due to changes in technology. The USPTO cited changes in the manner or medium by which products or services…
Washington, D.C. — The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) is seeking nominations to fill upcoming vacancies for the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (“TPAC”). Nominations must be postmarked or electronically transmitted on or before September 30, 2013. Submission details can be found in the Federal Register. Currently, there are…
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Commerce recently released a green paper on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy (the “Green Paper“) to advance discussion on a set of policy issues critical to economic growth. The Green Paper discusses the goals of maintaining an appropriate balance…
Continuing our recent initiative in response to feedback from practitioners and other stakeholders expressing a desire to provide constructive input on examination guides before they are finalized, a draft version of an examination guide on geographic certification marks is now available for comment. The purpose of the examination guide, entitled…
Washington, D.C. — Indiana inventors can now take advantage of new Patent Office procedure by having their patent attorneys file the appropriate paperwork. The USPTO launched the After Final Consideration Pilot 2.0 (AFCP 2.0) on May 19, 2013. Designed to be more efficient and effective than the AFCP, AFCP 2.0…