How did attendees evaluate the April 18 DOCX webinar?

Recently I presented two webinars (blog article) about the professional liability risks of e-filing using the USPTO’s DOCX e-filing system.  (Recordings of the two webinars are now available.)  The first-day webinar was for users of Microsoft Word, and the second-day webinar was for users of non-Microsoft word processors.  After each webinar, an evaluation questionnaire was sent to the attendees.  Here are some of the evaluation results from the April 18 webinar. 

How would you rate the quality of the webinar (1 bad – 5 good)?

• • 89% – 5
  • 10% – 4
  • 1% – 3

How would you rate the quality of the presenter (1 bad – 5 good)?

• • 91% – 5
  • 8% – 4
  • 1% – 3

How many people attended at your location?

• • 1 – 71%
  • 2-5 – 22%
  • 6 or more – 7%

Would you recommend this webinar to others? Feel free to explain your answer.

• • Definitely would recommend this webinar, good information.
  • Yes, I would recommend. The presenter has total command of the subject matter and explains it in both Short and Long Answer formats.
  • Very helpful, easy to understand.
  • Yes (19 responses)
  • Yes, definitely.
  • Yes. It was excellent.
  • Terrific presentation. I appreciated the detailed expose regarding the pitfalls of DOCX filings. Thank you!
  • Yes. Why doesn’t the USPTO like Adobe PDFs? If you could file a PDF along with the DOCX and they just saved it, that would seem to solve the problem. I don’t understand why they go through the auxiliary PDF process.
  • Yes. Super important and super frustrating that the USPTO appears to be getting away with railroading the community.
  • Yes, the presenter did a good job of explaining some of the background and mechanics of the problems with docx. It’s hard to understand why the USPTO has been pushing this initiative.
  • Absolutely. I had forwarded the email to several colleagues who registered and tuned in.
  • I think the webinar was excellent in presenting the other side of the story: why we should be wary of the DOCX requirement.
  • Yes, I would recommend this webinar to others.
  • Absolutely – smartest guy ever.
  • Yes, absolutely. I think the more people being aware of the problems and risks with Docx and complain of problems would put pressure on the PTO to allow for alternatives and to eliminate the penalty fee.
  • Yes, this topic is of concern, particularly to the attorneys I work with.
  • Yes, I recommend the webinar.
  • Yes!
  • Yes. So they are aware of the real issues with DOCX.
  • Yes, and have forwarded the link to others that should be interested.
  • YES! Thank you so much for your fearless guidance and speaking out on these matters to help out the rest of us. As a paralegal, being in a position to bring these matters to the attention of the attorneys/patent agents with additional support (YOU!) is invaluable. I was worried about DOCX before, but have even more concerns now.
  • Yes, I’d recommend it.
  • Yes, I would. Thank You!
  • Yes, very informative and easy to digest.
  • Yes. Patent Practitioners need to know “the other side of the story.” Mr. Oppedahl did a great job explaining what the practitioners need to know.
  • Yes, it was very useful to understanding the twists and turns and time and locations where errors might be introduced into the DocX filing process. Thanks Carl. Highly recommended.
  • Yes, this was very informative. Please continue your efforts to rein in the PTO.
  • Yes. The explanations were lucid and compelling. I bellieve everyone in the field would benefit from hearing them. Certainly I now have a far better grasp of the malpractice risk inherent in the docx method of filing and of the concepts behind the changes which occur after a docx has been filed.
  • Yes, it was very informative.
  • Yes. This webinar was a real eye-opener. Anyone contemplating filing a patent application in DOCX format needs to absorb the information from this webinar and not rely on the USPTO as the sole source of information about this procedure.
  • Definitely! The presenter gave a very clear overview of the problems with this format, and changed my mind in terms of filing in this format. I also liked the short summary, followed by the longer explanation.
  • YES!
  • Excellent webinar!
  • Highly recommend. Great information.
  • I do recommend your webinars to others.
  • Absolutely.
  • Yes – valuable information for consideration, particularly for law firms.
  • Yes. I’m a paralegal (Docketing), but I think Attorneys should REALLY be watching this webinar. I hope the attorneys who manage and make the decisions in our firm watch the recording and take everything stated into account when making the decision how to file after June 30. $400 is not much when you consider the greater costs (time, money, liability) concerned. Fingers crossed the USPTO gives up on the whole DOCX concept and sticks with PDF.
  • Yes, I would recommend this webinar to others in the practice of patent law.
  • Yes, I feel the presenter was very honest and explained the numerous concerns with e-filing in DOCX.
  • Yes – I don’t think most people have any idea there are problems with it. I didn’t.
  • Yes. Carl is an excellent presenter and has significant insight into the issues relating to the subject.
  • Yes. The Birdseye view of how many participants, and their affiliations, plus the information garnered in the polling was extremely enlightening. The schematic description of how the PTO is actually handling the DOCX submissions was fantastic. It’s very helpful that you tend to provide detailed data of problems with submissions, e.g., the date, word processor used, what the problem looks like (mu changed to m), etc.
  • Yes. Very helpful. Thank you so much!
  • Yes. It’s important subject matter and should be understood by all.
  • Definitely. Presenter was well prepared and knowledgeable on the topic.
  • Absolutely! Prior to attending this webinar I believed the transition to DOCX format was innocuous and was meant to make it easier for practitioners. After this webinar, the pitfalls seem to outweigh any impetus to e-file using the DOCX format.
  • Thank you ever so much for your efforts, and for your generosity in offering these webinars and leading the charge!
  • Absolutely!
  • Yes, I would recommend this webinar to others. I already have recommended it to another paralegal in my firm. I belong to a Facebook group for IP paralegals and would like to share it there. This is valuable information that everyone who is filing DOCX applications needs to know.
  • I would recommend this webinar because it brought up a lot of issues regarding enforceability that I hadn’t considered.
  • Very informative and helpful.
  • Yes, I am going to send the link to the recorded webinar to the firm’s partners. Carl explains the hazards with DocX filings better than I ever could.