Bluesky: @oppedahl.com
One of the many reasons why the USPTO’s DOCX initiative presents professional liability risks arises from USPTO’s use of an ever-changing “black box engine” to render DOCX files into PDF files. The black box engine is by now up to at least version 19. Continue reading “One reason why USPTO’s DOCX initiative presents professional liability risks”
Do you sometimes pick ISA/EP when you file a PCT application? Is it a source of frustration that the communications from ISA/EP arrive only slowly, via postal mail, rather than electronically? Would you like to learn how to set things up with an electronic EPO mailbox so that you can receive your ISA/EP communications electronically instead of by slow postal mail? Continue reading “Learn how to receive ISA/EP correspondence electronically rather than by postal mail”
(Update: nine comments got filed.)
This has been a busy week for Federal Register notices by the USPTO that relate to the ill-fated DOCX patent application filing initiative. We already knew about two Federal Register notices about this:
Now comes a third Federal Register notice:
In this blog article I briefly discuss this third FR notice. In a later blog article I will discuss this third FR notice in greater detail. Continue reading “Time to file comments on DOCX yet again”
There are many reasons why the USPTO’s “auxiliary PDF” approach, which the USPTO hopes would induce reluctant DOCX filers to do DOCX filing, is unacceptable. (See USPTO blinks a second time on auxiliary PDF with DOCX filing.) Here are some of the reasons. Continue reading “Deficiencies in the “auxiliary PDF” approach for DOCX filing”
(Corrected as to the name of the movie.)
A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, says a beloved song in the movie Mary Poppins. In the case of the ill-conceived DOCX initiative at the USPTO, the spoonful of sugar offered by the USPTO to try to induce filers to swallow the bitter-tasting DOCX initiative has been what it calls the “auxiliary PDF”. The USPTO has now blinked for a second time on the auxiliary PDF. Continue reading “USPTO blinks a second time on auxiliary PDF with DOCX filing”
The USPTO had, up until now, blinked three times on the $400 non-DOCX penalty. Now it has blinked a fourth time on the $400 penalty. (Typographical error corrected from January 24 to January 17.) Continue reading “USPTO blinks a fourth time on the $400 non-DOCX penalty”
I am by now part way through a series of sixteen webinars about the ePCT system. Thirteen of the webinars have been presented, and there are three more webinars that you can register for (click here to register). We were successful in recording the first thirteen webinars and the recordings have been edited into presentable form and have been posted for viewing. So if you missed any of the first thirteen webinars, you can view the recording. Here are the topics and links for viewing the thirteen recordings that have been posted so far. Continue reading “Recordings of many recent ePCT webinars are now available”
(Update June 20, 2023 — the false statement has returned to the USPTO web site — see blog article.)
Yesterday I reported (blog article) on a first false statement on the USPTO web site. Here is a second false statement that appeared on the USPTO web site as recently as two days ago (screen shot above):
The USPTO strongly recommends submitting Specification, Claims, and/or Abstract in DOCX format which provides better data accuracy.
Continue reading “A second false statement on the USPTO web site”
Here is a false statement from the Patentcenter web site of the USPTO (screen shot above right):
Patent Center has 100% of the functionality of EFS-Web, Public and Private PAIR, and is available to all users for electronic filing and management of patent applications.
This false statement on the Patentcenter web site has been reported to the USPTO as EBC ticket number 1-831173674. This is Patentcenter trouble ticket number CP141 (click here to see it).
On the Patentcenter Trouble Ticket page, we list dozens of reasons why this statement is false. Here are just a few of them … Continue reading “A first false statement on the USPTO web site”
On May 3, 2023, I urged you (blog article) to attend a webinar presented by two partners in the Fitch Even law firm, entitled Terrifying Tales of the USPTO’s DOCX Filing System. Hopefully you attended that webinar.
But if you missed the live webinar, the good news is that Terrifying Tales of the USPTO’s DOCX Filing System is now available as a recording. To view the recording, click here.
You can also view recordings (click here) of my two recent webinars on the malpractice risks associated with use of the USPTO’s DOCX e-filing system.