Category: Trademarks

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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:

    • 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.

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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”

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Get your numbers in for the 2022 toteboards

(Update:  I have collected some information from readers in this blog article about how to try to do toteboard searches in the new and poorly designed Patent Public Search system.)

Hello colleagues.   It is time to get your numbers in for the 2022 toteboards.  The toteboards have a goal of recognizing the intellectual property firms that filed the most US utility patent applications, filed the most US design patent applications, filed the most US plant patent applications, and filed the most US trademark applications, and saw them through to issuance and registration.

The submission forms will close on Tuesday, January 24, 2023.    Please don’t dawdle with this.  Please just hand in your numbers and be done with it.

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!

You can see the past toteboards, including the 2021 toteboards, here.

    • To hand in your numbers for the Eighth Annual utility patent toteboard, click here.
    • To hand in your numbers for the Eighth Annual trademark toteboard, click here.
    • To hand in your numbers for the Eleventh Annual design patent toteboard, click here.
    • To hand in your numbers for the Fourth Annual  plant patent toteboard, click here.
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Three law review articles about internet domain name disputes

Here are three law review articles that I published about internet domain name disputes:

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USPTO responses will be timely on Tuesday, January 3

Monday, January 2 will be a federal holiday in the District of Columbia.  This means the USPTO will be closed on Monday, January 2.  This means that any response or action that would have been due at the USPTO on Saturday, December 31,  or Sunday, January 1, or Monday, January 2 will be timely if carried out on Tuesday, January 3.

The US Postal Service will likewise be closed on Monday, January 2.

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USPTO responses will be timely on Tuesday, December 27

Monday, December 26 will be a federal holiday in the District of Columbia.  This means the USPTO will be closed on Monday, December 26.  This means that any response or action that would have been due at the USPTO on Saturday, December 24,  or Sunday, December 25, or Monday, December 26 will be timely if carried out on Tuesday, December 27.

The US Postal Service will likewise be closed on Monday, December 26.

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Today is the day — only 3 months to respond to a trademark Office Action

Yes, folks, today is the day.  Starting today, you only get three months to respond to a USPTO trademark Office Action instead of the usual six months.   I told you all about this back on October 12, 2022 (blog article).  This article hopefully answers some of your questions about this change.  Continue reading “Today is the day — only 3 months to respond to a trademark Office Action”

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US filers and filing at WIPO and daylight saving time

Keep in mind that most locations in the US will turn off daylight saving time today (November 6, 2022), but today is not the day that Switzerland will turn off daylight saving time.  (Switzerland turned off DST a week ago.)

Those who are filing documents at the International Bureau — documents that need a same-day filing date — should check to make sure they know what time it is in Switzerland as of today.

The main point here is that for a US filer, everything is now “back to normal”.  Whatever time zone offset a US filer is accustomed to between his or her time zone and Geneva, that offset is back to normal.

ePCT will tell you what time it is in Switzerland.

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Exploring the “gotchas” in the imminent shortened three-month trademark response period

In my blog article of October 12, 2022, I discussed the imminent shortened three-month response periods that will face trademark applicants starting on December 1, 2022.  Toward the end of the article I described what I saw as two “gotchas”, namely ways that an applicant could end up with an abandoned trademark application if the applicant were to choose to try to tough it out and hold back from paying the $125 extension-of-time fee.    Alert reader Michael Brown points out that depending upon the level of kind-heartedness in your Examining Attorney, you might not end up running afoul of the “gotchas”.  Continue reading “Exploring the “gotchas” in the imminent shortened three-month trademark response period”

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Daylight saving time and WIPO

Keep in mind that Switzerland will turn off daylight saving time today, October 30, 2022.  Those who are filing documents at the International Bureau — documents that need a same-day filing date — should check to make sure they know what time it is in Switzerland as of today.

For US filers, keep in mind that the US will not turn off DST today.  The US will turn off DST a week from now, on November 6, 2022.

US filers who are getting ready to file a document at the IB should thus pay close attention during this next week to what time it is in Switzerland.

Most readers of my blog will appreciate that the correct terminology is not “Daylight Savings Time” but “Daylight Saving Time”.

The practical effect for most US filers is that for the next week, you get an extra hour to e-file.  For example if you are in the Mountain Time Zone, normally you rush to file by 4PM if need a same-day filing date at the IB.  But for the next week you can file as late as 5PM and you will still get a same-day filing date at the IB.