Yesterday I blogged about the fact that Europe and US do their daylight saving time changes on different weekends: E-filing at WIPO – you get an extra hour. This prompted Ann Bardini of WIPO to write to me to offer a reminder of some of the features of ePCT that help users to keep track of when midnight is coming and when a filer’s last possible filing date is imminent. With her permission I have more or less converted her email message into the following guest blog posting. Continue reading “Time zones and ePCT”
e-filing at WIPO – you get an extra hour
It’s that time of year again. People in the US who sometimes e-file stuff at the International Bureau at WIPO will have memorized exactly what the local time is that works out to being midnight in Switzerland … and for the next week, the answer to this question will be different from the usual answer. Continue reading “e-filing at WIPO – you get an extra hour”
Samoa Joins the Patent Cooperation Treaty
On October 2, 2019, Samoa deposited the Instrument of Accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty with the International Bureau of WIPO. This means that the PCT will come into force for Samoa on January 2, 2020.
This brings to 153 the number of member States for the PCT.
Samoa already belongs to Madrid Protocol. Samoa has joined the Hague Agreement at the same time as the PCT. So on January 2, 2020 Samoa will achieve the trifecta for international filing mechanisms.
The two-letter code for Samoa is “WS”.
Argentina is getting ready for a PCT Receiving Office?
(Update on March 1, 2020: since the date of this blog article, WIPO has updated its Participating Offices web page to say that INPI’s participation that will commence on March 2, 2020 is only as to national patent applications, not also as to PCT applications.)
I am fascinated to see the following information on the DAS page of the WIPO web site:
What this says is that starting on March 2, 2020 (a mere five months from now), the RO/AR will be a Depositing Office for the WIPO DAS system. What is interesting about this is that for RO/AR to be a Depositing Office, the RO/AR would have to exist by March 2, 2020. And for RO/AR to exist, Argentina would have to join the PCT by March 2, 2020. So I guess the DAS people at WIPO know something that I don’t about Argentina’s plans to join the PCT.
Which ISAs do US filers choose?
WIPO provides a very nice statistics lookup tool on its web site. I used that tool to make this pie chart showing the International Searching Authorities that were chosen in 2018 by filers in RO/US. Continue reading “Which ISAs do US filers choose?”
Many ISA fees changing in a few weeks
For US filers, many International Searching Authority fees will change in the next few weeks. Continue reading “Many ISA fees changing in a few weeks”
What is ROROP?
ROROP is Restoration of the Right of Priority. Continue reading “What is ROROP?”
Recording at USPTO for a PCT that was not filed in RO/US?
A loyal reader asks:
If we have a PCT application filed in a receiving office other than the USPTO, will the USPTO record an assignment against that PCT application in advance of US national phase entry?
For example: For PCT/CN2019/123456, I have an executed English language assignment. If I file it via EPAS with the CN PCT number, will the USPTO record it?
The USPTO will record any document affecting title with respect to any US patent application. And any PCT application that designates the US counts as a US patent application (35 USC § 363) regardless of whether or not the US national phase has been entered. From this it follows automatically that the USPTO will record any document affecting title with respect to any PCT application that designates the US. (Socrates is a man, all men are mortal, therefore Socrates is mortal, that kind of thing.) You get the same answer to this question no matter which Receiving Office happens to have been selected by the filer. And it is the same answer regardless of whether the US national phase has or has not been entered. Such a recording may be carried out before the US national phase has been entered, and may be carried out even if the US national phase entry never actually happens. Such a recording may be carried out even after the international phase has ended (in other words, it can happen after the end of the 30-month period).
Actually nobody at the USPTO, no computer system at the USPTO, ever actually checks to see whether the PCT application actually designates the US. Thus actual observed behavior is that the USPTO will record any document affecting title with respect to any PCT application no matter whether or not it designates the US.
And of course the recordation is free of charge — no government fee.
And of course anyone can carry out the recordation — there is no requirement that the filer be a registered practitioner or have an address in the US.
Which then brings us to 35 USC § 261, which reminds that it is a Best Practice (indeed almost malpractice avoidance) to record any assignment within three months of its date of execution. So for example if a PCT application (designating the US) were to be assigned, it would be a Best Practice to record it at the USPTO within three months. This would be the case regardless of the Receiving Office in which it had been filed.
The alert reader might wonder, if we record against the PCT application number, and later enter the US national phase, will the recordation automatically cover the US application number? You can see the answer here.
Making smart use of ISA/KR and IPEA/KR
The Korean Intellectual Property Office has quietly rolled out several very nice features in its ISA and IPEA service. PCT filers who pick ISA/KR or IPEA/KR will want to familiarize themselves with these very nice features. Continue reading “Making smart use of ISA/KR and IPEA/KR”
Amazon lockers in hotels
I still vividly recall the first time a hotel annoyed me by charging a package fee. It was a Hyatt hotel in downtown Chicago; I was attending a professional meeting about twenty years ago. I had arranged for some courier package to be sent to me, and I had to pay a $15 ransom to get the package. Continue reading “Amazon lockers in hotels”