Argentina intellectual property office becomes more trendy, modern and up-to-date

click to visit INPI web site

The National Institute of Industrial Property of Argentina (INPI) had already been trendy, modern, and up-to-date, having joined the DAS system on October 1, 2019 (blog article).  Today’s news is that INPI has become even more trendy, modern and up-to-date.  It now participates in DAS in more ways.  Continue reading “Argentina intellectual property office becomes more trendy, modern and up-to-date”

Today is the day — Italy becomes an Accessing Office in DAS

You heard it here first (blog article, July 13, 2023)!  Today is the day that the Italian Patent and Trademark Office becomes an Accessing Office in the DAS system for the following kinds of applications:

    • national industrial design applications
    • national patent applications
    • national trademark applications
    • national utility model applications
    • PCT international applications

Continue reading “Today is the day — Italy becomes an Accessing Office in DAS”

What reel and frame numbers have to do with bitcoin and blockchain and shared ledgers

For their entire careers, US patent and trademark practitioners have lived and breathed a world of “reel and frame numbers” that are somehow intimately connected with the recordation of patent and trademark assignments.  What exactly are reel and frame numbers, and how is it that reel and frame numbers relate closely with bitcoin and blockchain and shared ledgers?  Continue reading “What reel and frame numbers have to do with bitcoin and blockchain and shared ledgers”

Italian patent and trademark office — soon to be more trendy, modern and up-to-date

On October 1, 2020 (blog article) the Italian patent and trademark office joined the DAS system.  It became a Depositing Office in the DAS system for the following kinds of applications:

    • national industrial design applications
    • national patent applications
    • national trademark applications
    • national utility model applications
    • PCT international applications

On September 1, 2023, the Italian patent and trademark office will become an Accessing Office in the DAS system for these same kinds of applications.  This is, of course, a very exciting development for the Italian patent and trademark office and for the DAS system.

Will the attached assignment be acceptable to the USPTO?

About once a month we at OPLF get an inquiry from an intellectual property firm located outside of the US regarding a client’s name change or assignment.  The inquiry is along the lines of:

Here is a draft Assignment from Company A to Company B.  Kindly advise whether this Assignment will be acceptable to the USPTO to transfer patent C from Company A to Company B.  Kindly advise what other documents if any will be needed and what this will cost.

Or the inquiry is along the lines of:

Here is an excerpt from the official corporate register of country A evidencing that the Company has officially changed its name from A to B.  Kindly advise whether this document will be acceptable to the USPTO to change the applicant name from A to B.  Kindly advise what other documents if any will be needed and what this will cost.

We find ourselves having to explain the same things, over and over again, to non-US counsel.  We hope that with this blog article we can save some time for everybody involved and answer some of the questions.  Continue reading “Will the attached assignment be acceptable to the USPTO?”

Today is the day — Lithuanian patent office and the DAS system

Today is the day that the State Patent Bureau of the Republic of Lithuania becomes even more trendy, modern and up-to-date.   Today is the date that the Lithuanian patent office commences participation in the DAS system in four ways:

    • as a Depositing Office for purposes of national industrial design applications,
    • as a Depositing Office for purposes of national trademark applications,
    • as an Accessing Office for purposes of national industrial design applications, and
    • as an Accessing Office for purposes of national trademark applications.

You heard this exciting news from me first, in my blog posting of May 4, 2023.

The Lithuanian patent office has already been a participant in the DAS system since January 1, 2023 in these ways:

    • as a Depositing Office for purposes of national patent applications;
    • as an Accessing Office for purposes of national patent applications;  and
    • as an Accessing Office for purposes of PCT patent applications.

The two-letter code (ISO-3166 code) for this Office is “LT”.  The web site of the Lithuanian patent office may be seen here.

July 4 a holiday at the USPTO

Tuesday, July 4, 2023 will be a federal holiday in the District of Columbia.  This means that the USPTO will be closed that day.

This means that any response that would normally be due on Tuesday, July 4 will be timely if made by Wednesday, July 5.

Note the important comment below from alert reader Dan Ferris:

It’s important to note that the “next business day” rule does not apply to the copendency requirement for filing divisional/continuation applications. Any such applications with parent applications issuing on July 4, 2023 should be filed no later than July 4, 2023.

The State Patent Bureau of the Republic of Lithuania becomes even more trendy, modern and up-to-date

On July 1, 2023, the State Patent Bureau of the Republic of Lithuania will become even more trendy, modern and up-to-date.  That is the date that the Lithuanian patent office will commence participation in the DAS system in four new ways:

    • as a Depositing Office for purposes of national industrial design applications,
    • as a Depositing Office for purposes of national trademark applications,
    • as an Accessing Office for purposes of national industrial design applications, and
    • as an Accessing Office for purposes of national trademark applications.

The Lithuanian patent office has already been a participant in the DAS system since January 1, 2023 in these ways:

    • as a Depositing Office for purposes of national patent applications;
    • as an Accessing Office for purposes of national patent applications;  and
    • as an Accessing Office for purposes of PCT patent applications.

The two-letter code (ISO-3166 code) for this Office is “LT”.  The web site of the Lithuanian patent office may be seen here.