Category: PCT

(There is a follow-up posting and another follow-up posting.)

On January 15, 2015 the Swiss Franc rose by about 19% relative to the US dollar, as shown in this graph (source:  XE.com).  It’s likely to stay this way for some time.  How will this affect filers of PCT patent applications?

Continue reading “Four consecutive Fridays (PCT fees likely to increase in a few weeks)”

(There is a followup posting.)

Let’s say you filed a PCT application and picked the USPTO to be your International Searching Authority.  Suppose further that ISA/US decided the claims are patentable.  When you enter the US national phase from that PCT application, may you safely assume that the USPTO will allow the application?

Continue reading “Urging USPTO to “drink its own Champagne””

Those who have heard me lecture about the Patent Cooperation Treaty are familiar with my tag line “trendy, modern, and up-to-date” (TMU).  The idea of course is that we all surely do want to be TMU when serving clients.  Using ePCT for example to administer our PCT applications.  Well, I am delighted to report that the Korean patent office, in its role as an International Searching Authority, is moving in the direction of being trendy, modern, and up-to-date.  How so, you may ask?

Continue reading “ISA/KR goes TMU”

Yes, it’s time to update your PCT-SAFE File Manager software.  There is a vulnerability in an older version of SSL (secure sockets layer) and our friends at WIPO have released a new version of PCT-SAFE FM — version 3.51.065.241 — which avoids this vulnerability. Continue reading “Time to update your PCT-SAFE FM software”

In an order dated October 8, 2014, the US district court in Brooklyn has rendered a judgment of about $7 million against a Virginia patent law firm.  The award is tied to an allegation that the firm failed to pursue US patent rights for a client despite undertaking to do so.

There was a box that could have been checked on a patent office form, that might well have kept this lawsuit from happening had it been checked.

Continue reading “$7M judgment against patent law firm”

I am at Schipol airport (Amsterdam) and will shortly board a train for the Hague.  Tomorrow and the next day I will be at the European Patent Office to speak at the second annual “PCT at the EPO” meeting.

I have heard from a few readers of this blog who will be at the meeting.  I look forward to seeing you there.

We all recall the nightmare of having to figure out whether or not to “check the box”.  You know the box that I am talking about:

Well, a nice member of our PCT listserv pointed out today that September 16, 2014 is an interesting day for the “check the box” problem.  I wonder how many readers of this blog already know why this is?

Continue reading “For those entering the US national phase on and after September 16, 2014 … recall the “check the box” problem”

As a reminder, the European Patent Office will present “PCT at the EPO”, a two-day educational program.  This will be Wednesday and Thursday, October 1 and 2 at the EPO office at the Hague.  One session is “National Phase at the USPTO”.  The speakers for that session will be Michael Neas of the USPTO and myself.

This is a unique educational program with a faculty composed of patent office presenters and private practitioners.

The first day of the event will conclude with a panel discussion on key developments in the PCT (I am one of the panel members), followed by a cocktail reception and a networking dinner.

To find out more about this two-day program, or to register, click here.

 

I have not encountered very many patent practitioners that noticed the Federal Register notice of May 15, 2014 entitled “Revisions To Implement the Patent Term Adjustment Provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act Technical Corrections Act”.  This notice established today, July 31, 2014, as the last day on which you can file a certain type of request for adjustment of patent term.

Continue reading “Today is the last day to file certain PTA correction requests”