This blog post describes some most recent developments in the business of the Trademark Office granting $100 petitions for trademark applicants who do not want to tell Trademark Office employees exactly where they sleep at night. This blog post talks about the privacy situation where the named applicant is a legal person (such as an LLC) rather than a natural person (a human being). Continue reading “The price of trademark privacy continues to be $100”
Today is the day — Colombia joins the WIPO DAS system
Yes, today is the day that Colombia joins DAS as both an Accessing Office and a Depositing Office. You can read about this here.
Who is the most trendy, modern and up-to-date Colombian intellectual property firm? Be the first to provide to me an application number, filing date, and DAS access code for a design application, a patent application, a utility model application, and an RO/CO application, and I will recognize your status as the most trendy, modern and up-to-date in Colombia. (I will blur part of the application number in the Certificates of Availability that I obtain and post.)
Two more Offices join the WIPO DAS system
I am delighted to report that two more Offices have announced their participation in the DAS system. These are the Italian Patent and Trademark Office and the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce of Colombia (the Colombian patent and trademark office). Here are details of the Depositing-Office participations:
| Colombia is a Depositing Office? | Italy is a Depositing Office? | |
| National industrial design applications | yes since August 28, 2020 | yes since October 1, 2020 |
| National patent applications | yes since August 28, 2020 | yes since October 1, 2020 |
| National trademark applications | yes since October 1, 2020 | |
| National utility model applications | yes since August 28, 2020 | yes since October 1, 2020 |
| PCT international applications filed With the office as a PCT receiving office |
yes since August 28, 2020 | yes since October 1, 2020 |
One striking aspect of this is the participation of RO/CO and RO/IT as Depositing Offices. This reminds us that among the IP5, the straggler Receiving Offices are RO/JP, RO/KR, and RO/US.
Note, too, the ever-increasing participation of Offices in DAS with respect to trademarks.
This also offers a reminder that these two Offices offer utility model protection.
Here are details of Colombia’s Accessing-Office participation:
| Colombia is an Accessing Office? | |
| Hague international applications | yes since August 28, 2020 |
| National industrial design applications | yes since August 28, 2020 |
| National patent applications | yes since August 28, 2020 |
| National trademark applications | yes since August 28, 2020 |
Who is the most trendy, modern and up-to-date Colombian intellectual property firm? Be the first to provide to me an application number, filing date, and DAS access code for a design application, a patent application, a utility model application, and an RO/CO application, and I will recognize your status as the most trendy, modern and up-to-date in Colombia. (I will blur part of the application number in the Certificates of Availability that I obtain and post.)
Who is the most trendy, modern and up-to-date Italian intellectual property firm? Be the first to provide to me an application number, filing date, and DAS access code for a design application, a patent application, a trademark application, a utility model application, and an RO/IT application, and I will recognize your status as the most trendy, modern and up-to-date in Italy. (I will blur part of the application number in the Certificates of Availability that I obtain and post.)
The price of privacy continues to be $100
Yes, if you feel the need to protect your privacy at the Trademark Office, the price continues to be $100.
Today the Commissioner for Trademarks granted another of my petitions asking that I not be required to reveal to Trademark Office employees where I sleep at night. You can see the granted petition here.
Which IP firm in Norway is the most trendy, modern and up-to-date?
Maybe you wondered which IP firm in Norway is the most trendy, modern and up-to-date. Now we know. It’s Oslo Patentkontor AS. The way that we know this is that Oslo Patentkontor was the first firm to fulfill a challenge in the sophisticated use of WIPO’s DAS system. Continue reading “Which IP firm in Norway is the most trendy, modern and up-to-date?”
A Madrid Protocol thing that USPTO needs to do as Office of Origin
Hello, readers in the US.
You know those notifications that you receive from WIPO about your Madrid Protocol cases? Those notifications from WIPO about your Madrid cases that do not tell you your attorney docket number?
Don’t you wish that each such notice would tell you your attorney docket number? Don’t you get very tired of having to go on a treasure hunt every time you receive such a Madrid notice from WIPO, to try to figure out what the attorney docket number is?
Maybe you wonder if there is some good reason why such notices do not tell you your attorney docket number.
There is a reason. If you’d like to know, read on. Continue reading “A Madrid Protocol thing that USPTO needs to do as Office of Origin”
Austrian Patent Office joins DAS
I am delighted to be able to report not only that the Austrian Patent Office has joined DAS, but that it will be participating as an Accessing Office in every way that it is possible to participate, and it will be participating as a Depositing Office in every way that it is possible to participate.
This participation will commence October 1, 2020.
The new Madrid Application Assistant
(Update: At the end of this article which I posted yesterday, I described a programming mistake in the newly released MAA software from WIPO. I wondered how long it would take for WIPO to get it fixed. Not even 24 hours have passed and already I received an email from a nice person at WIPO letting me know that they had fixed the problem. I tested and indeed it has been fixed.)
WIPO has just announced its new Madrid Application Assistant. Here is how WIPO describes it:
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has launched the Madrid Application Assistant, which automatically records all the information required to complete an international application.
The Madrid Application Assistant is the latest improvement to the service level of the Madrid Registry as part of WIPO’s drive to enhance the creation and management of trademark rights under the Madrid System.
You can see Information Notice No. 53/2020 and you can see a “learn more” page about the Madrid Application Assistant.
What exactly is this new Madrid Application Assistant? What is the problem, if any, for which the new Madrid Application Assistant is the solution? Who can use this tool? Is it a good idea to use this tool? Can applicants in the United States use this tool? How will this new tool affect US trademark practitioners? I will try to answer these questions. Continue reading “The new Madrid Application Assistant”
What I have in common with Robert De Niro
What do I have in common with Robert De Niro? Continue reading “What I have in common with Robert De Niro”
All USPTO systems are broken
(Updated to include link to USPTO’s 411 page.)
It seems that all USPTO systems are broken.
Members of the EFS-Web listserv, the Patentcenter listserv, and the e-Trademarks listserv (each of which you should join if you have not done so already) are reporting that all USPTO systems are broken just now.
Here is the link to USPTO’s 411 page: https://www.uspto.gov/blog/system411/ . Right now it says:
USPTO is experiencing an enterprise wide issue. Users are reporting being unable to connect to the USPTO network and receiving the error “revocation status of the smartcard could not be determined”. Support groups are troubleshooting this situation, but other impacts include share drive mapping issues, SharePoint access issues, and other applications may have impacts as a result of this situation. Users are advised not to contact the Service Desk at this time. Due to the High Call Volume that the OCIO Service Desk is experiencing, there are reports of some users receiving busy signals when calling.