Inter Partes Review Technical Corrections

From the Federal Register, March 25, 2013:

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office or USPTO) is revising the rules of practice to implement the changes with respect to inter partes review that are set forth in section 1(d) of the Act to correct and improve certain provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act and title 35, United States Code (``AIA Technical Corrections Act''). Consistent with the statutory changes, this final rule eliminates the nine-month ``dead zone'' for filing an inter partes review petition challenging a first-to-invent patent or reissue patent. Under the final rule, a petitioner may file an inter partes review petition challenging a first-to-invent patent or reissue patent upon issuance, including during the first nine months after issuance.

DATES: Effective Date: March 25, 2013.

To read the complete text of this final rule, see http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-03-25/html/2013-06768.htm