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What is an “I Want” song?

From time to time I will become aware for the first time of some element of popular culture that most other people already know about.  Today’s example is a term for a kind or category of song, namely the “I Want” song.  There is a particular song that is very popular right now, all around the world, and it turns out that this particular song falls into the (apparently well-known) category of “I Want” songs.  Today is when I learned that there is this category of song.

What is the definition of an “I Want” song?  What is this particular song that is right now very popular all around the world that falls into the category of being an “I Want” song?  Continue reading “What is an “I Want” song?”

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Four upcoming opportunities for PCT and ePCT training

As a reminder, folks, there are four upcoming opportunities for PCT and ePCT training, all of which will include me as a presenter.

    • National Docketing Association annual meeting, San Diego (brochure page):
      • Monday, October 6, 3:15 PM PT – Making Best Use of ePCT for PCT Docketing (75 minutes)
      • Tuesday, October 7, 1PM PT – Mastering PCT Docketing (60 minutes)
    • Friday, October 24, Dallas Patent Office (brochure page) – Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and ePCT seminar (full day)
    • Tuesday, October 28, Detroit Patent Office (brochure page) – Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and ePCT seminar (full day)
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Reduction In Force at the USPTO

An article just now in The Guardian says:

In a memo seen by the Guardian, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced a “reduction in force” (RIF) program of layoffs at the agency on Wednesday, the first reported agency to do so.

“Approximately one percent of the USPTO workforce will be affected by this RIF,” wrote Valencia Martin Wallace, acting commissioner for the USPTO, wrote to employees at the agency. The USPTO did not respond to a request for comment

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USPTO blinks on shutdown of familiar assignment searches

August 27, 2025 announcement
click to enlarge

(Update:  every USPTO system relating to assignments is now broken on October 16, 2025, see blog article.)

On August 27, 2025, the USPTO said (quoted at right) that Saturday, September 27, 2025 was the day that the USPTO would shut down the two familiar assignment search systems, forcing users over to a new assignment search function in Assignment Center.

It appears the USPTO has blinked and will postpone this shutdown for about three weeks, until Monday, October 20, 2025.  Continue reading “USPTO blinks on shutdown of familiar assignment searches”

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A decision that might help with 101 problems

(A commenter pointed out a mistake in this article — the applicant apparently did not appeal to the ARP.  What apparently really happened is that the ARP, sua sponte, chose to take action.  I fixed it.  Thanks to the commenter.)

Today the USPTO published a decision called Ex parte Desjardins et alia, 2024-000567 (Appeals Review Panel, September 26, 2025). a copy of which may be seen here.  It looks like this decision may be of some help to applicants facing 101 rejections.  Continue reading “A decision that might help with 101 problems”

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EBC continues to foot-drag handling of Form 2248

(Update:  by now almost four months have passed and the EBC has still not acted upon either of the Forms 2248.  See blog article.)

It is now six weeks ago that I followed instructions from the EBC and used fax to send in a Form 2248 in two of my PCT cases.  (See blog article.)  Yes, six weeks have now passed during which EBC continues to fail to act upon either of the Forms 2248 that I sent to them.