USPTO Names Maryland Library to Support Intellectual Property Needs of Inventors and Entrepreneurs (31Jan2007)
Posted by Kristen Cichocki at January 31, 2007 02:29 PM
PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Brigid Quinn or Ruth Nyblod
(571) 272-8400 or
brigid.quinn@uspto.gov
ruth.nyblod@uspto.gov
USPTO Names Maryland Library to Support Intellectual Property Needs of Inventors and Entrepreneurs
University of Baltimore School of Law Library Designated a Patent and Trademark Depository
The Commerce Department's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced the designation of the University of Baltimore School of Law Library as a Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL). PTDLs provide access to intellectual property information including more than 7 million patents and over 4 million active or pending trademark registrations, as well as other related information in various print and electronic media to support the diverse intellectual property needs of the public.
"The new PTDL gives Baltimore area students, faculty, researchers, inventors and entrepreneurs a unique resource right in their community," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property Jon Dudas. "The depository program makes the wealth of information contained only in patent and trademark documents easily accessible, and the library provides expert staff assistance in its usage."
The University of Baltimore serves a diverse student population with an emphasis on professional degrees and certificate programs for working adults. In addition, the University of Baltimore School of Law and Merrick School of Business work hand-in-hand through initiatives such as the "Lab to Market" program that fosters innovation in Maryland. The University of Baltimore School of Law Library is located in the John and Frances Angelos Law Center building at 1429 Maryland Avenue. It is easily accessible by car via I-83, Baltimore Light Rail, Baltimore Metro, and Pennsylvania Station for Amtrak and MARC Maryland commuter trains.
The PTDL will open to the public on February 1, 2007, and a grand opening celebration will be held at the library in Baltimore at a later date.
USPTO's patent and trademark depository library program is a nationwide network of public, state and academic libraries authorized to disseminate patent and trademark information and to support inventors, intellectual property attorneys and agents, business people, researchers, entrepreneurs, students, historians and the general public who are not able to come to USPTO's offices in Alexandria, Va. Services at the libraries are free, and include assistance in accessing and using patent and trademark documents, training on USPTO databases, obtaining access to the USPTO Web site, and hosting public seminars on intellectual property topics for novice and experienced innovators.
The patent and trademark depository library program began in 1871 when federal law first provided for the distribution of printed patents to libraries for use by the public. The addition of the University of Baltimore School of Law Library to the PTDL network makes a total of 85 libraries located in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. A list of all the current libraries can be found on USPTO's Web site at www.uspto.gov .
Change in Procedure for Handling Nonprovisional Applications Having Omitted Items (30Jan2007)
Posted by Kristen Cichocki at January 30, 2007 10:14 AM
Change in Procedure for Handling Nonprovisional Applications Having Omitted Items
[signed 29 January 2007]
[30 January 2007]
View and/or download a PDF of this notice at the following url:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/opla/preognotice/omitteditems.pdf
U.S. and Republic of the Philippines Sign Memorandum of Understanding on Intellectual Property Rights (29Jan2007)
Posted by Kristen Cichocki at January 29, 2007 02:54 PM
PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Brigid Quinn or Ruth Nyblod
(571) 272-8400 or
brigid.quinn@uspto.gov
ruth.nyblod@uspto.gov
#07-06
U.S. and Republic of the Philippines Sign Memorandum of Understanding on Intellectual Property Rights
Collaboration Will Help Support U.S. Commerce Globally
The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced today that Jon Dudas, under secretary of Commerce for intellectual property and Adrian S. Cristobal, Jr., director general of the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of the Philippines (IP Philippines), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on technical cooperation between the two intellectual property offices.
As trading partners, the United States and the Philippines enjoy a close economic relationship that depends on strong intellectual property protection for their innovators and businesses.
"The USPTO appreciates this opportunity to work with the Philippines," said Under Secretary Dudas. "We are confident that, together, we will contribute to enhancing administration of intellectual property rights for IP users in both the Philippines and the United States."
Under the terms of the MOU, the USPTO and IP Philippines will cooperate on a range of intellectual property issues. The USPTO will provide assistance on the development of patent and trademark examination manuals and automated patent and trademark examination tools, as well as provide assistance with modernization projects that the two sides identify. The two offices will exchange information on a regular basis regarding their respective examination practices and the intellectual property laws of their respective countries.
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1:2007cv00143
2007-01-19
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3:2007cv00083
2007-01-16
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2007-01-04
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USPTO Announces New Key Member to Management Team (23Jan2007)
PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Brigid Quinn or Ruth Nyblod
(571) 272-8400 or
brigid.quinn@uspto.gov
ruth.nyblod@uspto.gov
#07-05
USPTO Announces New Key Member to Management Team
John Love Named Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property Jon W. Dudas has named John J. Love deputy commissioner for patent examination policy for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Love most recently served as the acting deputy commissioner for patent examination policy.
As deputy commissioner, Love is responsible for changes in patent practice, rules of practice and procedures, examining priorities, and classification of technological arts. He leads the operations of the Patent Legal Administration, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Legal Administration, the Office of Petitions, and International Liaison.
"John Love is an important member of USPTO's senior management team," noted Under Secretary Dudas. "With his many years of service and dedication to the patent system, I know he will make major contributions by providing the legal and practical guidance necessary to ensure high-quality, efficient patent examination."
"John's extensive patent practice and policy experience, wealth of legal knowledge, and proven leadership abilities make him an invaluable asset to the patent team. His rapport with the patent examining corps, managers and the public will help us expertly meet the many challenges of the coming years ," said Commissioner for Patents John Doll.
Love joined the USPTO in 1969 and has served the agency in a variety of leadership positions, including director of the technology center with responsibility for examining business method patents and computer related inventions. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 1988.
Love received his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Detroit. He earned a juris doctor degree from Georgetown University, and is a member of the Virginia State Bar.
USPTO Statement on Ceasing Annual Top 10 Patents Holders List (22Jan2007)
USPTO Statement on Ceasing Annual Top 10 Patents Holders List
Beginning this year, the USPTO will no longer release an annual list of top 10 organizations receiving the most U.S. patents. The 2006 data will be available in April in the annual “Patenting by Organizations” report on the agency's web site (www.uspto.gov). This report profiles U.S. patents granted to U.S. and international organizations receiving 40 or more patents each year.
In ceasing publication of the top 10 list, the USPTO is emphasizing quality over quantity by discouraging any perception that we believe more is better.
For the past four years USPTO has focused on the quality of the patents it issues. We are now seeing the results of those efforts. Last year patent quality was the best in over 20 years, and the agency also had the lowest rate of patents approved in more than 30 years.
Over the past four years the USPTO has implemented numerous programs to enhance the quality of patent examination. These include:
• rigorous in-process and end-process reviews of examiners' work and written certification and recertification examinations to ensure examiners remain up-to-speed on patent law, practice and procedure.
• increasing the number of “second-pair-of-eyes” reviews of initial decisions to grant patents.
• implementing eight-month university-style training programs to teach patent examination coursework to new examiners in a collegial and collaborative environment.
• establishing a unit of patent examiners solely devoted to reexamining patents for which evidence raising a substantial new question of patentability is found after the patent is granted.
• improving the quality of USPTO work life to attract the best pool of new patent examiners by offering opportunities to work from home.
• implementing electronic processing of patent applications to make the patent examination process more efficient and effective.
Brigid Quinn
Spokesperson, USPTO
Deputy Director of Public Affairs
Changes to Facilitate Electronic Filing of Patent Correspondence, Final rule (23Jan2007)
Changes to Facilitate Electronic Filing of Patent Correspondence, Final rule
(23 Jan 2007)
[23 January 2007]
View and/or download a PDF of this notice at the following url:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/notices/72fr2770.pdf
Changes to Facilitate Electronic Filing of Patent Correspondence, Final rule (23Jan2007)
Changes to Facilitate Electronic Filing of Patent Correspondence, Final rule
(23 Jan 2007)
[23 January 2007]
View and/or download a PDF of this notice at the following url:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/notices/72fr2770.pdf
Changes to Facilitate Electronic Filing of Patent Correspondence, Final rule (23Jan2007)
Changes to Facilitate Electronic Filing of Patent Correspondence, Final rule
(23 Jan 2007)
[23 January 2007]
View and/or download a PDF of this notice at the following url:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/notices/72fr2770.pdf
USPTO Begins New Electronic Priority Document Exchange Program (19 January 2007)
Posted by Kristen Cichocki at January 20, 2007 02:51 PM
USPTO Begins New Electronic Priority Document Exchange Program
(19 January 2007)
On January 16, 2007, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, along with the European Patent Office (EPO), implemented a new service to allow certified copies of patent application priority documents to be exchanged between the two offices electronically. Priority documents have to be filed when applicants wish to claim an earlier application filing date in one patent office based on a prior filing in another. The new service, which is free of charge to applicants, is the result of a 2005 agreement between the USPTO and the European Patent Office. Priority document exchange will get underway between the USPTO and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) later this year. Information on how to use the system can be found below.
Under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, a treaty that provides a number of important rights for innovators, a patent applicant may file an application in one Paris Convention member country (the priority document), and within 12 months, file corresponding applications in other member countries, while obtaining the benefit of the first application's filing date. This 12-month period allows applicants to make important decisions about where to file subsequent applications to seek protection for their inventions. Paris Convention filings are a critical component in many applicants' global business and patenting strategies and represent a substantial portion of worldwide patent activity. In order to obtain the benefit of an earlier filing, however, applicants are generally required to file paper copies of the priority document in each of the later-filing offices at their own expense. The new service allows the USPTO and EPO, with appropriate permissions, to obtain electronic copies of priority documents filed with the other office from its electronic records management system at no cost to the applicant.
This electronic exchange of copies of priority documents promotes sharing of information between the intellectual property offices and reduces the administrative costs associated with handling paper copies of priority documents and scanning them into the offices' electronic image record management systems.
Forms (PTO/SB/38 and PTO/SB/39) and instructions are available on the USPTO's Web site: http://www.uspto.gov/web/forms/index.html#patent . Applicants are strongly encouraged to check the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system to determine whether the USPTO successfully retrieved the priority document. The applicant will be notified if the retrieval attempt is unsuccessful and that a paper copy of the certified copy of the priority document must be provided before the U.S. application issues as a patent.
For further information, see Federal Register Notice: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/notices/72fr1664.pdf
Changes to Implement Priority Document Exchange Between Intellectual Property Offices, Final rule (16 Jan2007)
Posted by Kristen Cichocki at January 17, 2007 11:53 AM
Changes to Implement Priority Document Exchange Between Intellectual Property Offices, Final rule (16 Jan 2007)
[16 January 2007]
View and/or download a PDF of this notice at the following url:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/notices/72fr1664.pdf
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2006-10-27
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2006-11-01
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2006-10-02
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2:2006cv04418
2006-10-04
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2007-01-11
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2007-01-09
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2007-01-09
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United States Patent and Trademark Office Celebrates One-Millionth Electronically Filed Trademark Application (10 Jan 2007)
Posted by Kristen Cichocki at January 10, 2007 01:12 PM
PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Jennifer Rankin Byrne
(571) 272-8400 or
jennifer.rankin_byrne@uspto.gov
United States Patent and Trademark Office Celebrates One-Millionth Electronically Filed Trademark Application
Milestone Underscores Success of Award-Winning Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS)
Washington, D.C.-- The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will mark an important milestone in its history today-the one-millionth Web-based trademark application using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS). This achievement will be commemorated today at a 5 p.m. (ET) ceremony at the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, VA.
Donald Junck, an entrepreneur from Sioux Falls, SD, filed the one-millionth electronic trademark application in November 2006 to protect his trademark, Bait Craft, which is used for fishing tackle boxes. As many small business owners have done, he filed the application himself, demonstrating how easy and convenient TEAS is to use--regardless of the applicant's location or resources.
Mr. Junck will join the most active corporate and law firm users of TEAS-Mattel, Inc., and the New York City-based law firm Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, P.C.-in being recognized in today's ceremony.
"As Donald Junck's story so perfectly illustrates, TEAS is designed to make the trademark application system easy and accessible, no matter how large or small the business or where it is located," said Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. "We are gratified that TEAS has reached this important milestone, and are proud that today 94% of all new trademark applications are filed electronically."
"TEAS proved to be an important and effective tool in protecting my brand," said Mr. Junck. "I would encourage other entrepreneurs to use this system as well, as it saved me both time and money."
TEAS launched as a pilot program in November 1997. It allows anyone in the world with Internet access to file applications electronically 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Developed with the goal of increasing participation in the trademark registration process, TEAS also has enhanced the quality of initial trademark applications and improved the speed and accuracy of their processing.
The USPTO has received numerous awards and recognitions for TEAS. These include: the Excellence.gov competition (2005 winner), the eGovernment Fellows Program (2004), the Government Technology Leadership Award (2000), the Innovations in American Government Award (2000 semi-finalist), and the Rochester Institute of Technology/USA Today Quality Cup Competition (2000 finalist).
For more information on TEAS, visit www.uspto.gov/teas/ .
Commerce Under Secretary Highlights Seattleâs Innovation (8 Jan 2007)
Posted by Kristen Cichocki at January 8, 2007 08:30 PM
Commerce Under Secretary Highlights Seattle’s Innovation
Focus on importance of intellectual property protection to the Seattle-Tacoma economy
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Jon Dudas today told reporters that protecting intellectual property against piracy and counterfeiting is a key part of economic growth in Seattle-Tacoma.
“Intellectual property is growing in importance to the local economy in and around Seattle,” noted Under Secretary Dudas. “Seattle has been ranked sixth in the nation for biotechnology industry concentration, an industry for which patent protection is singularly important.”
“The residents of Washington realize the importance of intellectual property protection as evidenced by the more than 10,000 patent applications they filed in the past year,” Dudas continued. “Business owners here want to understand the intellectual property system for success in today’s global market.”
Under Secretary Dudas also reported late-breaking news on the economy. “This morning we received very positive information about the U.S. economy. It is strong and growing at a steady pace, and the outlook is favorable.”
According to the Under Secretary, the Labor Department today announced that the U.S. economy gained 167,000 new jobs in December, exceeding market expectations. The U.S. economy has added 7.2 million new jobs since August 2003. The United States’ unemployment rate held steady in December at 4.5 percent, and average hourly earnings rose by 8 cents or 0.5 percent.
With the important role that intellectual property plays in the growth of both the Seattle-Tacoma and U.S. economies, combating intellectual property theft is a top priority for the Bush Administration. Under Secretary Dudas emphasized that intellectual property theft costs U.S. businesses approximately $250 billion annually and hundreds of thousands of jobs. A major federal government effort known as the Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!) aims to combat criminal networks that traffic in fakes, stop trade in pirated and counterfeit goods at America's borders and help small businesses secure and enforce their rights in overseas markets. As part of the initiative, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office maintains a toll-free telephone hotline, 1-866-999-HALT, that helps businesses leverage the resources of the U.S. government to protect their intellectual property rights.
The USPTO also has a Web site specifically designed to address the needs of small businesses, and informational materials informing small businesses about the problem and steps they can take to mitigate it. Materials and other information about the awareness campaign are available at www.stopfakes.gov/smallbusiness .
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0:2006cv23072
2006-12-20
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2:2006cv08077
2006-12-18
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2:2007cv00005
2007-01-03
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1:2006cv15319
2006-12-20
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J. Matthew Buchanan 
Stephen M. Nipper 
Douglas Sorocco 