One of the expressly stated goals for the USPTO developers developing Patentcenter is that every feature and function of EFS-Web and Private PAIR be carried forward into Patentcenter. Only after this has been accomplished would it be acceptable for the USPTO to pull the plug on EFS-Web or Private PAIR. Unfortunately, users of Patentcenter frequently encounter situations where some feature of EFS-Web or Private PAIR has been only incompletely carried forward. This article describes a failure of the developers to fully carry forward all of the features of the Track I workflow. This harms applicants, as I will describe in some detail. Continue reading “A feature omission in Patentcenter – Track I fees”
Maybe some USPTO progress away from bad parts of its DOCX initiative
(An important followup letter got sent on February 14, 2023 to the USPTO — see blog article.)
Readers, I am delighted to be able to report what looks like a bit of progress by the USPTO, away from some of the bad parts of its DOCX initiative. A meeting took place on February 1, 2023 with some representatives of the patent practitioner listserv committee. You can read about the meeting below. Continue reading “Maybe some USPTO progress away from bad parts of its DOCX initiative”
Eighty-two patent practitioners write to Director Vidal about the DOCX initiative
Hello readers. You will recall (blog article of December 27, 2022) that the practitioner community was invited to sign a letter to USPTO Director Vidal. The letter urged her to read the document entitled The Fool’s Errand That Is DOCX, dated December 27, 2022, and the letter urged her to direct her underlings to read that document.
I am honored to be part of a community of eighty-two patent practitioners who signed that letter to Director Vidal.
This blog article reports that the letter did get sent to the USPTO. You can see the letter, which is dated December 28, 2022, here. The USPTO did receive the letter.
The next day, the USPTO blinked and postponed for another three months one of the really bad parts of its DOCX initiative. See Setting and Adjusting Patent Fees During Fiscal Year 2020, 87 Federal Register 80073, published December 29, 2022.
There is reason to think that the USPTO is moving, albeit slowly, toward yet another bit of progress away from really bad parts of its DOCX initiative, in addition to that blink on December 29, 2022. I hope to write another blog article soon about what might be another bit of progress.
Please take a look at the names of the eighty-two signers. Maybe you know some of them. If so, this might be a good time to say “thank you” to them.
Monaco Industrial Property Office is trendy, modern and up-to-date
The Monaco Industrial Property Office of the Business Development Agency, having joined the DAS system, is now trendy, modern, and up-to-date. (I first reported this to you on December 5, 2022.) Continue reading “Monaco Industrial Property Office is trendy, modern and up-to-date”
The 2022 Toteboards are now published
The 2022 US utility patent, US design patent, US plant patent, and US trademark registration toteboards are now published. You can see them here:
I am grateful as always to the hundreds of firms that contributed their numbers to these toteboards.
Last day to get in your numbers for the 2022 toteboards!
Today is the last day to get in your numbers for the 2022 toteboards. Click here to get in your numbers.
Here is what we have so far:
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- For the US utility patent toteboard — over fifty firms responding, representing over thirty thousand issued US utility patents.
- For the US trademark registration toteboard — over fifty firms responding, representing over ten thousand granted US trademark registrations.
- For the US design patent toteboard — over forty firms responding, representing over four thousand issued US design patents.
- For the US plant patent toteboard — over three firms responding, representing over twenty-five US plant patents.
Get your numbers in. The response forms will stop taking responses at the close of business today, Tuesday, January 24, 2023.
USPTO harmed a Patentcenter screen
For four years now, the “applications” table in Patentcenter has had a standard column “attorney docket number”. There have been many things wrong with the USPTO’s default design of this “applications” table from the outset, as will be reviewed below. But one of the handful of things that the USPTO did not get wrong in its default design for the “applications” table was that it provided the attorney docket number. Imagine, then, the disappointment in the user community when, on January 16, 2023, the USPTO abruptly eliminated the “attorney docket number” column from the “applications” table. Continue reading “USPTO harmed a Patentcenter screen”
Monday morning: Patentcenter down for maintenance!
USPTO made a wrong decision just now. Monday morning is absolutely the wrong time to take down Patentcenter for maintenance. Continue reading “Monday morning: Patentcenter down for maintenance!”
Not ready with complete details for your patent application? file a provisional!
I wonder if this language on the USPTO’s Patentcenter web site is bad legal advice? The e-filing system asks “Not ready with complete details for your patent application?” And the answer the USPTO gives is that if you are “not ready with complete details” then what you should file is a provisional patent application. Continue reading “Not ready with complete details for your patent application? file a provisional!”
Some firms have gotten in their numbers for the 2022 toteboards
The 2022 toteboards will get published in February of 2023. Every year, we publish the toteboards, and after that, some firm comes in begging and pleading to hand in its numbers late. Please don’t do that. Please hand in your numbers before Tuesday, January 24, 2023!
As of just now, lots of firms have already handed in their numbers for the 2022 toteboards: Continue reading “Some firms have gotten in their numbers for the 2022 toteboards”