Keep in mind that Switzerland will turn off daylight saving time today. Those who are filing documents at the International Bureau — documents that need a same-day filing date — should check to make sure they know what time it is in Switzerland as of today. Continue reading “Daylight saving time and WIPO”
No web-based Issue Fee payment for Hague applications
It is recalled that one of USPTO’s stated goals for Patentcenter is that before it shuts down EFS-Web, the USPTO will bring forward all of the functions and features of EFS-Web into Patentcenter. It is also a matter of common sense that each function and feature in Patentcenter that works for one application type needs to be implemented for all other relevant application types. This blog article reports that the USPTO is now doubling down on a baffling refusal to correct a defect in Patentcenter relating to the payment of Issue Fees in Hague (35-series) applications. Continue reading “No web-based Issue Fee payment for Hague applications”
Argentina intellectual property office becomes more trendy, modern and up-to-date
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:
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- 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”
Brazil industrial property office becomes more trendy, modern, and up-to-date
Today is the day that the Brazilian industrial property office has added two more kinds of participation to its connections with the DAS system. Continue reading “Brazil industrial property office becomes more trendy, modern, and up-to-date”
Brazil industrial property office becomes more trendy, modern, and up-to-date
A week from now, the Brazilian industrial property office will become even more trendy, modern, and up-to-date than it already is. It will become an Accessing Office in the DAS system for two more kinds of priority document. Continue reading “Brazil industrial property office becomes more trendy, modern, and up-to-date”
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:
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- 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:
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- 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:
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- 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.