Monthly Minute | Design Patents
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) Prioritized Patent Examination Program, known as the Track-1 Program, provides an accelerated patent application examination in exchange for additional filing fees to those...more
The FCC released its annual Report and Order announcing the regulatory fees due for the 2025 fiscal year. Fees must be paid by 11:59 pm Eastern time on September 25. The FCC's CORES payment module is accepting fee payments...more
In the U.S., patent rights generally go to the first inventor to file — not the first to invent. Filing early secures your place in line. But the type of application you choose (provisional vs. non-provisional) can...more
The U.S. Patent Office’s program for expedited examination of design applications under 37 CFR 1.155 (often called the design “rocket docket”), which was suspended earlier this year, was formally canceled in an amended...more
The Common Interest Community Board amended the Complaint Regulations effective August 1, 2025. These regulatory changes pertain to those circumstances where a person files a complaint against an association as the first step...more
I have some good news for California employers seeking to enforce arbitration agreements. The California Supreme Court just held that non-payment of arbitration fees does not automatically waive the right to arbitrate....more
On June 20, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Texas Senate Bill 140 into law, taking effect on Sept. 1, 2025. Among other things, this bill expands the scope of Texas’ telephone solicitation legislation (the Texas Telephone...more
In a summer of sweeping immigration updates, the Big Beautiful Bill appears to now reshape how employers manage Form I-9 compliance for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries. On July 22, 2025, the Federal Register...more
New fees from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) are now on hold until 2027. Our Investment Funds Team examines the new schedule for public offering and private placement reviews....more
U.S. Commerce Department officials are considering whether to charge patent holders a new 1% to 5% patent fee that would be based on "overall patent value," The Wall Street Journal reported on July 28, 2025. There are no...more
In January 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) implemented a broad set of fee increases and structural adjustments intended to address rising operational costs and encourage more efficient patent...more
On July 7, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) announced that, starting July 8, 2025, the Office will be increasing the number of prioritized patent examination requests that may be accepted from...more
Forming a new business requires addressing a number of principal issues and logistics, many of which draw on structure, liability, policy, tax, and related considerations. After picking the best entity form, the first...more
The Government has made the notification rules which determine the circumstances in which 2026 transactions will need to be notified to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) under the new Part IVA of the...more
While there’s no definitive consensus, economists are closely monitoring the possibility of entering a recession this year. Economists agree a recession is not imminent, but caution the odds of facing a recession are higher...more
Some issuers will be subject to higher FINRA fee caps beginning July 1, 2025. Section 7 of Schedule A to the FINRA By-Laws sets forth the fees associated with filing documents pursuant to the Corporate Financing Rule....more
A name is often crucial to who you are. It forms part of your identity. It helps family, friends, and even strangers recognize you. Despite its importance, changing your name in California is often a straightforward process....more
We previously reported that on January 18, 2025, the USPTO implemented its new fee schedule, setting certain new fees and raising some existing ones. Now that the fees have been in place for a while, this Client Alert is to...more
The European Patent Office (EPO) provides reductions to many of the official fees due during the grant procedure of a European patent application. These reductions can significantly reduce the total costs of bringing a...more
Effective May 13, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will implement a significant change to its patent issuance process, substantially reducing the time between issue notification and patent issuance....more
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has introduced new trademark fees for 2025. These changes are designed to address increased operating costs and examination times and they will impact many routine...more
Under the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) modernization efforts, the time between paying the issue fee and issuance of the patent is being reduced. Faster patent issuance gives patent applicants less time...more
Effective July 1, 2024, the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) was renamed to the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI). The announcement from the Governor’s Office regarding this...more
The new fee structure is presented as a neutral pricing adjustment to replace the current TEAS Plus and TEAS Standard application filing options with a single base application option that changes based on the "complexity and...more
On April 15, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) informed the public that, effective May 13, 2025, the USPTO will be accelerating the process for issuing patents. Currently, the time between Issue...more