This column highlights some of the more notable recent internet notices, newsletters and blogs dealing with IP prosecution issues.
Wenger’s Writings – Hal Wegner still posts discussions on patent law – View here
- June 3, 2015’s post was about litigation between an inventor and the USPTO to expedite prosecution of several patent applications that have been pending for over twenty years. Read full post here.
- On June 11, 2015 Hal took on the issue of whether international patent exhaustion will become U.S. law in 2016. Read here.
He wrote a paper on the issue, “Will the United States Introduce International Patent Exhaustion in Lexmark?” Read PDF here.
IPWatchdog – a patents and patent law blog – IPWatchdog.com.
- A guest post by Austin Underhill on June 17, 2015 revealed that Track One (USPTO’s Prioritized Patent Examination Program) applications are 19% more likely to receive an allowance than standard U.S. patent applications. Read full post here.
Patently-O – a blog written by Dennis Crouch – www.patentlyo.com.
- A post on June 15, 2015 by Professor Crouch detailed historical data on patent prosecution pendency in the U.S. Running at about 30 months currently, from filing date to issue date
Read full post here. - On June 17, 2015 Professor Crouch provided further details regarding the data presented on June 15, 2015 (“Patent Pendency Redux”). Read full post here.
USPTO – the PTO’s website– uspto.gov.
- In a June 15, 2015 emailed notice, the USPTO announced enhancements to Private PAIR (Patent Application Information Retrieval). Now you can update the correspondence address, maintenance fee address, entity status, and customer number information within Private PAIR. Details are available at the USPTO’s PAIR Announcements page.
Read full post here. - In a June 26, 2015 emailed notice, the USPTO announced that the Chrome browser removed Java plug-in support in April 2015. There is a workaround HERE from Google. That workaround will not work after October 1, 2015. The USPTO recommends accessing EFS-Web and Private PAIR with browsers such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari. The USPTO is working on a longer term plan as the alternative browsers may later also discontinue Java plug-in support, which is needed for online filing with the USPTO’s system.
AIPLA – the profession’s national organization– AIPLA.org.
- AIPLA will hold its 2015 Annual Meeting October 22-24, 2015 in Washington, D.C. (703-415-0780). To make reservations click here, or call 1-877-212-5752
Miscellaneous –
- The Chisum Patent Academy holds an upcoming patent law seminar on August 12-14, 2015 (Seattle, Washington). Read the full post here. Another seminar is in Washington, D.C. on September 24-25, 2015 and one next year in Cincinnati, Ohio in March 2016 . There are a possible 18 CLE credits for these seminars. More info here.
For more information about any of the patent topics mentioned consult Patent Application Practice. Trademark topics are discussed in Trademark Registration Practice. Both are published by West and updated twice a year. For litigation questions, contact Fred Douglas at 949/293-0442 or by email at fdouglas@cox.net.