Across the Atlantic, the European Union (EU) and its member states have also been encouraging climate-resilient agri-tech innovation, but their approach to intellectual property (IP) incentives has been a bit different. The...more
The Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BPTO) joined the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) program on July 6, 2024. Coordinated by the Japan Patent Office (JPO)....more
From the moment a new invention or technology is realized, the race to patent the invention has begun. Anyone can apply for a patent to protect their inventions, discoveries and technologies at the U.S. Patent and Trademark...more
USPTO Leadership - On April 13, Kathi Vidal was sworn in as the new Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Director Vidal offered...more
The International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Working Group held its 14th session from June 14 to 17, 2021. Patent attorney Mary Drabnis (Baton Rouge)...more
USPTO Launches New Patent Search Tool - In a press release issued earlier this year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced the launch of a new Patent Public Search tool. The Office notes that the new patent...more
The Russian war on Ukraine has resulted in a series of US sanctions and Russian countermeasures that have disrupted the coordination of patent and trademark rights between the United States and Russia. ...more
USPTO Leadership - ..Drew Hirshfeld is still performing the functions and duties of Director. President Biden nominated Kathi Vidal to be the next Director. On Jan. 13, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 17-5 to forward...more
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently launched an online First Office Action Estimator, which provides an estimate when a patent application will receive a first Office action. Having an idea of when a patent...more
On January 6, 2022, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced a Deferred Subject Matter Eligibility Response Pilot Program (the “DSMER Program”). We provide a brief overview of this program....more
This is the second article of the multi-part series discussing benefits of prosecuting patents under Patent Prosecution Highway or PPH. The first article can be accessed here. To recap, PPH is a set of initiatives promulgated...more
Patent Prosecution Highway or PPH is a set of initiatives promulgated by participating patent offices around the world to accelerate patent prosecution in countries of the participating patent offices. PPH allows the...more
It is not uncommon for applicants to file related patent applications in the United States and in Japan. When the applications claim priority to a common patent application, or one of the applications claims priority to the...more
The extensive amendments to the Patent Act and Patent Rules that came into force on October 30, 2019 have complicated the practice for responding to an Office Action (i.e. an “Examiner’s Report”) issued by the Canadian Patent...more
Major patent offices around the world have long been aware of backlog and redundancy issues facing the global patent landscape. As previously reviewed, the Patent Prosecution (PPH) program aims to accelerate examination...more
The October 2020 issue of Sterne Kessler's Global Patent Prosecution newsletter discusses the factors you need to consider when filing strategies to protect your innovations in Asia and reviews the benefits for using the...more
Building a patent portfolio is an important part of new product development. For many startups, patents help credential their technology and attract investment. However, backlogs at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office...more
In general, the maximum term of protection for an invention in the U.S. under a utility patent is 20 years less than the period of patent pendency. This term begins to run on the day the patent issues and ends 20 years after...more
For the life science industry, patents are more than just tools for restricting the commercial activities of direct competitors. Patents are being used more and more to generate substantial additional returns on research and...more
In recent years, with the increase in patent applications filed in China, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has focused on expediting patent examinations to decrease the duration of the normal...more
Survey of Foreign Filing Requirements in the United States, China, and Europe - Many governments require approval of technical subject matter described in patent applications in the form of a foreign filing license prior...more
At last count, there are 27 Global and IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) participants with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Since the PPH provides a no fee way to speed up the examination process for...more
The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program accelerates examination among participating patent offices. The PPH program first began as a trial program between the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Japan Patent...more
A Snapshot and Strategic Use of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) - The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program accelerates examination among participating patent offices. As a no fee alternative for accelerated...more
USPTO and EAPO Establish PPH Pilot Program - In a notice issued in the Official Gazette (1446 OG 52) last month, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced that it was implementing a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)...more