USPTO America Invents Act Roadshow coming on September 26

NEWS!

• What: USPTO AIA Implementation Roadshow  / Agenda
• Where: Fondren Library, Kyle Morrow Room (3rd floor) / Directions and Parking
• When: Wednesday, September 26, 10:30 am - 5:00 pm 
  
• Who: Open to the public at no charge; no advance registration

Patent Law School Clinic Certification Pilot Program

The Patent Law School Clinic Certification Pilot Program will allow a limited number of applications to be advanced out of turn each semester beginning with the fall 2012 academic year. This increases the likelihood that applications filed by student lawyers under the guidance of a law school faculty clinic supervisor will receive substantive examination within the school year.

 The law school clinical programs "provide patent legal services to independent inventors and small businesses on a pro bono basis." That includes help with "patentability searches and opinions, advice from clinic law students regarding their IP needs under the supervision of a faculty practitioner, drafting and filing of patent applications, and representation before the USPTO."

 For more information about the advancement of examination option, see the June 20, 2012 press release. For a list of participating law schools and more details about the student lawyer program, access the Patent Law School Clinic Certification Pilot Program webpage.

America Invents Act Progress in Key Areas

On June 20, 2012 USPTO Director David Kappos testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about progress on implementing the provisions of the America Invents Act (AIA). The testimony is broken down in sections and includes discussions of fee setting, AIA roadshows, the Track One prioritized examination program, probono and ombudsman programs, satellite offices, patent harmonization, international work sharing, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) processing, the Patent Law Treaty and the Hague Agreement on Designs, and assistance for small entities. His testimony is available at http://www.uspto.gov/news/speeches/2012/Kappos_SJC_testimony.jsp

Beijing Treat on Audiovisual Performances Signed

According to a June 26, 2012 press release, a delegation from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Copyright Office were among approximately 140 signatories to a "landmark multilateral treaty that advances global intellectual property (IP) rights for the creative content of audiovisual performers." The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances (Beijing Treaty) "strengthens intellectual property protections for actors, musicians, and dancers globally, by requiring countries to ensure updated and consistent standards of protection for performers in audiovisual works." The treaty is heralded as "the first significant advancement in international norm-setting in the copyright area in more than fifteen years, and a landmark stride for labor and industry representatives working together in the fight against global piracy."

See the press release for more information.

Full First Action Interview Pilot Program Comments

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 131 (Monday, July 9, 2012)]
[Notices][Pages 40342-40343]
Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16596]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
[Docket No. PTO-P-2012-0025]

Extension of the Full First Action Interview Pilot Program and 
Request for Comments

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments. 

To view the complete text of this comment request, access 
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-07-09/pdf/2012-16596.pdf  

 ----------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) is 
extending the First Action Interview (FAI) Pilot Program while 
completing a comprehensive review of the program, deciding what, if 
any, adjustments should be made to the program, and whether the program 
should be extended further or made permanent. The program is intended 
to expedite disposition of an application by enhancing communication 
between an applicant and an examiner at the beginning of the 
examination process. Specifically, the program allows an applicant to 
conduct an interview with an examiner prior to the issuance of an 
Office action, but after receiving the examiner's search results and 
initially identified issues. During its review, the Office will 
consider feedback from both internal and external stakeholders. 
Accordingly, in addition to announcing the extension of the program, 
the Office is requesting comments on the program.

DATES: Comment Deadline Date: Written comments must be received on or 
before August 8, 2012. No public hearing will be held.
    Extension Date: The Office has extended the FAI Pilot Program until 
August 16, 2012. Notice of this extension was placed on the USPTO's Web 
site just after expiration of the prior extension.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent by electronic mail message over the 
Internet addressed to: first.action.interview@uspto.gov. Comments may 
also be submitted by postal mail addressed to: United States Patent and 
Trademark Office, Mail Stop Comments--Patents, Commissioner for 
Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450, marked to the 
attention of Joseph F. Weiss, Jr. Although comments may be submitted by 
postal mail, the Office prefers to receive comments by electronic mail 
message over the Internet in order to facilitate posting on the 
Office's Internet Web site.
    The comments will be available for public inspection at the Office 
of the Commissioner for Patents, located at Madison Building East, 
Tenth Floor, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, Virginia. Comments also 
will be available for viewing via the Office's Internet Web site 
(http://www.uspto.gov). Because comments will be made available for 
public inspection, information that is not desired to be made public, 
such as an address or phone number should not be included in the 
comments.

New Regional USPTO Office in Dallas Area

Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) David Kappos announced on July 2, 2012 plans to open regional USPTO offices in or around Dallas, Texas, Denver, Colorado, and Silicon Valley, California. These offices are in addition to the already-announced first USPTO satellite office to open on July 13 in Detroit, Michigan.  Next week, Acting Secretary Blank and Under Secretary Kappos will travel to each of the newly selected cities to meet with local businesses, entrepreneurs and public officials to discuss the new office openings.  For more details, see the USPTO Press Release:  http://www.uspto.gov/news/pr/2012/12-40.jsp .

New Patent Classification System User Information

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 122 (Monday, June 25, 2012)]
[Notices][Page 37879]
Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-15447]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
[Docket No. PTO-P-2012-0026]

Cooperative Patent Classification External User Day
AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
To read the complete text of the notice, access
 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-06-25/pdf/2012-15447.pdf  
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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is 
hosting a Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) External User Day 
event at its Alexandria Campus. CPC is a partnership between the USPTO 
and the European Patent Office (EPO) in which the Offices have agreed 
to develop a joint patent classification system that will incorporate 
the best classification practices of the two Offices. This CPC event is 
the next step, in a series of steps, to be undertaken by the USPTO in 
educating and informing external stakeholders about the current 
development and future implementation plans of the CPC.

DATES: The event will be held on Tuesday, July 10, 2012, beginning at 
8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), and ending at 12:00 p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The event will be held at the USPTO in the Madison 
Auditorium on the concourse level of the Madison Building located at 
600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314.

For Event Registration: There is no fee to register for the event 
and registration will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Early 
registration is recommended because seating is limited. Registration on 
the day of the event (July 10, 2012) will be permitted on a space-
available basis beginning at 8:30 a.m., Eastern Standard Time.
To register, please provide your name and phone number to
 CPC_Users_Day@uspto.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Derris Banks, Supervisory Patent 
Examiner, TC 3700, by telephone at (571) 272-4419, or by electronic 
mail message at derris.banks@uspto.gov, or Linda Dvorak, Supervisory 
Patent Examiner, TC 3700, by telephone at (571) 272-4764, or by 
electronic mail message at linda.dvorak@uspto.gov.