Priority Examination Available at USPTO Starting May 4

UPDATE 2:  Prioritized examination is available as of September 26, 2011. UPDATE:  The PTO has postponed indefinitely the start date of prioritized examination because of budgetary reasons.  (Press release) It apparently intends to go forward with the program once adequate resources are available. PTO's final rules on "Track 1" or prioritized examination were posted yesterday. … Continue reading Priority Examination Available at USPTO Starting May 4 →

Prospects for Patent Reform in the New Congress

Rep. Lamar Smith (R - Tex), who is very likely to  be the incoming Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, also spoke yesterday at the Texas Global IP Leadership Summit in Austin. Patent reform is a high priority for him. Unlike the last session of Congress, in which the Senate took the lead, he intends … Continue reading Prospects for Patent Reform in the New Congress →

New PTO Initiatives

PTO Director Dave Kappos spoke at the Texas Global IP Leadership Summit in Austin today, along with Jim Pooley, Deputy Director General of WIPO, and SooWon Li, head of KIPO.   Several interesting things were said.  Here are two from Dave Kappos that caught my attention. Toward a European Style Revocation Proceeding in the PTO Director … Continue reading New PTO Initiatives →

The PTO wants to make appeals in patent applications easier on everyone involved

The US PTO published today a notice of proposed rule making in the Federal Register. The accompanying press release summarizes the changes as: Rescinding the stayed 2008 Final Rule. Eliminating a number of briefing requirements that ask for information that is readily available in the file history (e.g., statements of the status of claims, status of amendments, … Continue reading The PTO wants to make appeals in patent applications easier on everyone involved →

Requests for continued examination in patent practice

Professor Dennis Crouch asked in a post today on his Patently-O blog for comments on why applicants file so many requests for continued examination. Specifically, he wanted to know readers' thoughts on the following questions: 1.  What is your explanation for the large number of RCE filings? 2. What can the PTO do help prosecution … Continue reading Requests for continued examination in patent practice →

The PTO”s proposed multitrack patent examination plan

The U.S. PTO has just proposed  (press release) its most ambitious and comprehensive plan yet to reduce pendency and backlogs of patent applications. The plan involves giving applicants the choice of selecting between one of three tracks for examination: Track I:  prioritized examination Track II:  traditional examination Track III:  delayed examination for up to 30 months … Continue reading The PTO”s proposed multitrack patent examination plan →

Bilksi: watching for the kettle to boil

The Supreme Court seems to be taking its time with Bilski v. Kappos. Given every IP lawyer's interest in it, It's like we are watching for a kettle to start boiling... Patently-O, Professor Dennis Crouch's blog on patent law, reports in Bilski Watch: Timing of Supreme Court Decisions that the the Court is taking longer -- considerably … Continue reading Bilksi: watching for the kettle to boil →

The Folly of Predicting New Products From Patents

Mac News: Legal: The Folly of Predicting New Products From Apple's Patents. This is an article that I wrote recently on the use of patents as business intelligence.