Student Externship Program

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is currently accepting applications for the Summer Extern Program for offices under the Chief Information Officer (CIO). Externs will be placed in offices for 10-12 weeks beginning in June 2017. Students will participate in office specific projects including meet and greets, workshops, brown bag and other developmental program throughout the summer.  Applications will be accepted until Friday, January 20, 2017. Externships are unpaid. Room and accommodations are not provided. For details, including qualifications and how to apply see the USAJOBS website: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/459975900/.

The job title is “Unpaid Externship - Office of the Chief Information Officer”. The job announcement is A-2017-0009. The open period for applications is December 16, 2016 to January 20, 2017. For questions about these positions, contact Denise Absher at 571-272-0339. 

USPTO Fights Fraudulent Trademark Solicitations

The USPTO has worked hard to fight solicitations from companies fraudulently promising to protect trademarks, and we have taken a number of steps to help raise awareness of these schemes in an attempt to limit the number of victims defrauded. Our agency works closely with federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and the United States Postal Inspection Service to combat the problem........

You can read the entire article on the USPTO Director's Forum

Texas Regional Office Events in January 2017

• Monday, January 9, 2016
  A Conversation on Claim Interpretation and 112(f)
  Dallas, TX
  Please join the Dallas Bar Association (DBA) in collaboration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for A Conversation on Claim Interpretation and 112(f).
  
• Wednesday, January 18, 2016
  Meet the Trademark Experts
  Texas Regional Office
  Join us at the USPTO Texas Regional Office where we will be hosting an interactive Q&A session with the Trademark Experts.
  
• Thursday, January 19, 2016
  Meet the Patent Experts: Class 1
  Texas Regional Office
  The USPTO Texas Regional Office starting in 2017 will begin is 4-class curriculum on patents. Class 1 will be an overview of intellectual property with a focus on patents, EFS-Web and USPTO resources.
  
• Saturday, January 21, 2016
  Patents & Trademarks Workshop
  Corpus Christi, TX
  Have an idea? Then don’t miss this workshop where you can get free advice from registered patent and trademark attorneys and U.S. Patent & Trademark Office examiners who are volunteering their time to serve the community.
  

For any questions about upcoming events, please send e-mail to texasregionalUSPTOEvents@USPTO.GOV (link sends e-mail) or call (469) 295-9000.

Miscellaneous Changes to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Rules of Practice; Correction

Federal Register Volume 81, Number 238 (Monday, December 12, 2016), Pages 89382-89383.

Miscellaneous Changes to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Rules of Practice; Correction

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

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office published in the Federal Register on October 7, 2016 a final rule, which will become effective on January 14, 2017, revising the Rules of Practice before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. This document corrects errors in certain cross-references, clarifies the manner of testimony taken in a foreign country and the process in depositions upon written questions, and reincorporates the time frames for cross appeals and cross actions in that rule.

DATES: This rule is effective January 14, 2017, and applies to all proceedings pending on or after the effective date.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Butler, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, by email at TTABFRNotices@uspto.gov, or by telephone at (571) 272-4259.

For more information: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-12-12/html/2016-29728.htm

Webinar -- The Different Types of Patent Applications

Are you an inventor looking to protect your idea but unsure of which application to file?  Then join us as we go over the differences between Utility and Design Patent applications and the advantages of filing a Provisional and/or Non Provisional Utility Patent Application. 

We will also go over the different forms, fees, and formalities required for the respective type of application. This interactive presentation will allow online users to send questions via the chat function to have them answered live!

Date and Time:
January 23, 2017 (Monday)
11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET
 
Location:
Webinar

Registration Link:  
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-different-types-of-patent-applications-tickets-29490635284

Patent Quality Conference, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016

A Patent Quality Conference will be held on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET at the USPTO Headquarters, Madison Auditorium in Alexandria VA.

The event is free and open to the public.  You can attend either in person or remotely via webcast.

Information on the event—including a link to register and the agenda—is available at the Patent Quality Conference page:

https://www..uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/patent-quality-conference.html .

Notice of Roundtables and Extension of the Period of Comments on Examination Time Goals

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office or USPTO) previously announced information for roundtables in Alexandria, Virginia, and Dallas, Texas, to solicit public feedback as part of aneffort to reevaluate its examination time goals. Examination time goals vary by technology and represent the average amount of time that a patent examiner is expected to spend examining a patent application in a particular technology. The Office now is providing information on the additional three roundtables that the Office will be conducting in Detroit, Michigan; Denver, Colorado; and San Jose, California. In addition, the Office is extending the written comment period to ensure that all stakeholders have sufficient opportunity to submit comments on the reevaluation of the Office's examination time goals.

DATES: Written Comments Deadline: To be ensured of consideration, written comments must be received on or before January 30, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent by electronic mail addressed to ExternalExaminationTimeStudy@USPTO.gov. Comments also may be submitted by postal mail addressed to: Mail Stop Comments--Patents, Commissioner for Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450, marked to the attention of Raul Tamayo, Senior Legal Advisor, Office of Patent Legal Administration, Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy.

    Although comments may be submitted by postal mail, the Office prefers to receive comments by electronic mail in order to facilitate posting on the USPTO's Internet Web site (http://www.uspto.gov). Electronic comments may be submitted in plain text, ADOBE portable document format, or MICROSOFT WORD[supreg] format.. Comments not submitted electronically should be submitted on paper in a format that facilitates digital scanning into ADOBE portable document format.

For more information: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-11-30/html/2016-28689.htm

Upcoming USPTO Events in the Texas Region

Tuesday, November 29, 2016: Examination Time Roundtable at the Texas Regional Office
The USPTO is soliciting public feedback in an effort to conduct a comprehensive study of examination time. The overall effort is called the Examination Time Analysis (ETA).

Monday, December 5, 2016: Patent Subject-Matter Eligibility - Roundtable 2 at the Texas Regional Office
This second roundtable will focus on receiving feedback regarding larger questions concerning the legal contours of eligible subject matter in the U.S. patent system. Additional details about the roundtables are in a Federal Register Notice, published Oct. 17, 2016.

Friday, December 9, 2016: Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works at the Texas Regional Office

The Texas Regional Office is hosting a webcast to discuss current initiatives and technologies used to develop a more robust an d collaborative digital marketplace for copyrighted works, and to consider ways forward to help achieve that result.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016: Patent Quality Conference Webcast in San Marcos, TX

Learn more about quality programs and results from the Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative, how patent quality impacts the U.S. Courts, and next steps the USPTO is taking to advance patent quality.  More information will be forthcoming.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016: Advanced Patent & Trademark Seminar in San Antonio, TX

This is part of our ongoing outreach to independent inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. During this conference, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the patenting and trademarking process as it relates to your small business.

For inquiries about the event: please email texasregionalUSPTOEvents@USPTO.GOV, visit us at the https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/uspto-locations/dallas-texas, or call us at 469-295-9000.

Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works

The Department of Commerce's Internet Policy Task Force (Task Force) will hold a conference at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) facility in Alexandria, Virginia, on December 9, 2016, to discuss current initiatives and technologies used to develop a more robust and collaborative digital marketplace for copyrighted works and to consider ways forward to help achieve that result. This follows up on an earlier public meeting held by the Task Force on April 1, 2015, which focused on how the Government can assist in facilitating the development and use of standard identifiers for all types of works of authorship.

More information is available from a Federal Register Notice https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-11-21/html/2016-27934.htm .

For registration information to attend either in person in Alexandria or see a webcast at one of the USPTO's regional office, access https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-policy/public-meeting-developing-digital-marketplace-copyrighted-works-dec

Round Table on Examiner Time Analysis

Please join us for the upcoming Round Table on Examiner Time Analysis on Tuesday, November 29, 2016.

The purpose of this discussion is to obtain public input to help us ensure that the Office’s examination time goals accurately reflect the amount of time needed by examiners to conduct quality examination in a manner that responds to stakeholders’ interests.

This event is free and open to the public. The registration link is https://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/patent-examination-time-goals-roundtable-2

We look forward to seeing you on November 29^th! 

 

Texas Regional Office USPTO Team

USPTO Texas Regional Office

(469) 295-9050

texasregionalusptoevents@uspto.gov
http://www.uspto.gov/about-us/uspto-locations/dallas-texas

AAU Contact Center will be closed from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 17, 2016

Please be advised that the USPTO Application Assistance Unit (AAU) Contact Center will be closed for a brief period on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p..m.  The AAU Contact Center will respond to e-mails and voice messages when it reopens at 1:30 p.m.

For information on the AAU Contact Center please visit:

https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/support-centers/application-assistance-unit-aau

New Trademark App Open Source Code on Github

New Trademark App Open Source Code on Github
Tuesday, November 15, 2016 2:34 PM

Guest blog by Chief Technology Officer David Chiles

Improving the way the government delivers information technology (IT) solutions to its customers isn’t just a goal, it’s our mission. We at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office know that by publishing our open source code, the public can help us come up with new and better IT solutions. In advance of the new Federal Source Code Policy and in support of the Administration’s Open Government Initiative, we have been publishing content on Github for over a year, and it now includes source code for a mobile application for trademarks.

The new published source code on Github is for a sample application enabling a user to access and track the status of a trademark. This application enables the user to receive a push notification anytime the status of a trademark application changes. The idea for this app began with feedback from the leadership in Trademarks, and we believe that it will also be a useful tool for our own employees. We’re making our code for this application open to the public, so you can also use it in your own projects, improve it so it works best for you, or create an entirely new application.

Through our Open Data and Mobility Program, we’ve already made over 200 years of intellectual property information available to the public, and have published application program interfaces (APIs) so you can more easily search, use, and manipulate patent and trademark information. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to use our data.

As America’s Innovation Agency, we hope that our open source initiatives will spur innovation and create new ideas. We are looking to the public to come up with the next greatest idea, like we recently did through our Cancer Moonshot Challenge.

Let us know how you like our Trademark app, and keep an eye on our Github page as we’ll be publishing more and more open source projects.

Patent Subject Matter Eligibility Roundtable on Dec. 5, 2016

The Federal Register Volume 81, Number 219 (Monday, November 14, 2016) [Page 79463] has a roundtable and comment request notice regarding patent subject matter eligibility.

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office publishes this notice to announce that interested persons may participate at the USPTO's Alexandria, VA office for its Roundtable to be held on December 5, 2016.

DATES: This notice is applicable to Roundtable 2 being held December 5, 2016, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., PST Stanford, CA. Written comments are due by January 18, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information regarding registration and speaker presentations should be directed to the attention of Elizabeth Shaw, by telephone at 571-272-9300, or by email at Elizabeth.shaw2@uspto.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October, 17, 2016, the USPTO published in the Federal Register a notice of public roundtables and request for comments related to patent subject matter eligibility. (81 FR 71485). The USPTO publishes this notice to announce that in addition to those USPTO offices identified in the October 17, 2016 notice, the public is also invited to participate at Roundtable 2 by appearing, in person, at the USPTO Headquarters, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314.

Please see the October 17, 2016 notice for registration instructions and further information on the Roundtables.

Dated: November 7 2016.

Michelle K. Lee,
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. [FR Doc. 2016-27279 Filed 11-10-16; 8:45 am]

For more information, please see https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-11-14/html/2016-27279.htm

See more information about attending at Stanford or at the USPTO at https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-policy/rulemaking/patent-subject-matter-eligibility-roundtable-2-webcast

The Federal Register Volume 81, Number 214 (Friday, November 4, 2016,Pages 76867-76870), 37 CFR Part 6, contains the following final rule:

SUMMARY:

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues a final rule to incorporate classification changes adopted by the Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (Nice Agreement). These changes are effective January 1, 2017, and are listed in the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (11th ed., ver. 2017), which is published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

DATES: This rule is effective on January 1, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Catherine Cain, Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy, at (571) 272-8946 or TMFRNotices@uspto.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose: As noted above, this final rule incorporates classification changes adopted by the Nice Agreement that will become effective on January 1, 2017. This rule benefits the public by providing notice regarding these changes.

Summary of Major Provisions: The USPTO is revising Sec. 6.1 in part 6 of title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations to incorporate classification changes and modifications that will become effective January 1, 2017, as listed in the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (11th ed., 2017) (Nice Classification), published by WIPO.

The Nice Agreement is a multilateral treaty, administered by WIPO, which establishes the international classification of goods and services for the purposes of registering trademarks and service marks. As of September 1, 1973, this international classification system is the controlling system used by the United States, and it applies to all applications filed on or after September 1, 1973, and their resulting registrations, for all statutory purposes. See 37 CFR 2.85(a). Every signatory to the Nice Agreement must utilize the international classification system.

For more information: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-11-04/html/2016-26682.htm

Patent Quality Forums and Chats and Patent Public Advisory Committee Meetings

The USPTO is offering several avenues for interested parties to learn more about patent operations and provide input about patent quality.

• Patent Quality Chats are a lunchtime free webinar series held the second Tuesday of every month from 12 - 1 pm ET. See more information including how to access a chat.
• Patent Quality Forums will take place at five sites around the country. The first event will be held in Washington, D.C. on November 3, 2016 and the Series will continue with events in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Kansas City, Missouri; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Portland, Oregon throughout the month. The Washington, D.C. event will also be webcast for those unable to attend in person. All Patent Quality Forum Series events are open to the public but require registration since space is limited. See more information.
• The Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) meets quarterly at the USPTO in Alexandria, Virginia. The PPAC reviews the policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees of patent operations and advises the director on these matters. You can attend the meeting in person or online. The next meeting will be November 3, 2016 from 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM ET. See the details at https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/events/ppac-quarterly-meeting?utm_name=.

Request for Comments on Examination Time Goals

Comment Request from the Federal Register Volume 81, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 25, 2016)[Pages 73383-73384]:

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office or USPTO) is soliciting public feedback as part of an effort to reevaluate its examination time goals. Examination time goals vary by technology and represent the average amount of time that a patent examiner is expected to spend examining a patent application in a particular technology. The Office plans to use the public feedback as an input to help ensure that the Office's examination time goals accurately reflect the amount of time needed by examiners to conduct quality examination in a manner that responds to stakeholders' interests. In addition to accepting public feedback through the submission of written comments, the Office will provide the following avenues for increased interactive participation: IdeaScale[supreg], a Web-based collaboration tool that allows users to post comments and interact with the posted comments of others; and five roundtables that the Office will be conducting in: Alexandria, Virginia; Detroit, Michigan; Denver, Colorado; Dallas,Texas; and San Jose, California.

DATES: Written Comments Deadline: To be ensured of consideration, written comments must be received on or before December 27, 2016.

For more information https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-10-25/html/2016-25758.htm

Privileged Communications Between Clients and Patent Practitioners at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board

The Federal Register  in  Volume 81, Number 201 (Tuesday, October 18, 2016) [Pages 71653-71657] contains the following proposed rule:

Rule Recognizing Privileged Communications Between Clients and Patent Practitioners at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board

SUMMARY: This proposed rule would amend the rules of practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to recognize that, in connection with discovery conducted in certain proceedings at the United States Patent  and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office), communications between U.S. [[Page 71654]] patent agents or foreign patent practitioners and their clients are privileged to the same extent as communications between clients and U.S. attorneys. The rule would apply to inter partes review, post-grant review, the transitional program for covered business method patents,and derivation proceedings. This rule would clarify the protection afforded to such communications, which is currently not addressed in the rules governing Board proceedings at the USPTO. This new rule will not affect the duty of disclosure and candor before the Office under 37 CFR 1.56.

DATES: Comment date: The Office solicits comments from the public on this proposed rulemaking. Written comments must be received on or before December 19, 2016 to ensure consideration.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent by electronic mail message over the Internet addressed to: acprivilege@uspto.gov. Comments may also be submitted by postal mail addressed to: Mail Stop OPIA Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450, marked to the attention of ``Soma Saha, Patent Attorney, Patent Trial Proposed Rule on Privilege.''

For more information: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-10-18/html/2016-25141.htm

Notice of Roundtables and Request for Comments Related to Patent Subject Matter Eligibility

The Federal Register Volume 81, Number 200 (Monday, October 17, 2016) on pages 71485-71489 has the following comment request:

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (``USPTO'')seeks public input on patent subject matter eligibility in view of recent decisions by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The USPTO remains interested in feedback from members of the public to improve the USPTO's existing subject matter eligibility guidance and training examples. The USPTO is also interested in facilitating a discussion among members of the public regarding the legal contours of eligible subject matter in the U.S. patent system. The USPTO will be facilitating these discussions by hosting two roundtable events. The first roundtable will be directed to receiving feedback from members of the public to improve the USPTO's existing subject matter eligibility guidance and training examples. The second roundtable will be focused on receiving feedback regarding larger questions concerning the legal contours of eligible subject matter in the U.S. patent system. The roundtables will provide a forum for discussion of the topics identified in this notice.

DATES: The meeting dates are:

1. November 14, 2016, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Alexandria, VA Written comments will be accepted on an ongoing basis. 
2.  December 5, 2016, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Stanford, CA. Written comments are due by January 18, 2017.

For more information: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-10-17/html/2016-24888.htm

FTC Study on Patent Assertion

An Oct. 6, 2016 FTC press release  reveals that the report examining "the business practices of patent assertion entities (PAEs), firms that acquire patents from third parties and then try to make money by licensing or suing accused infringers" is now published. Entitled Patent Assertion Entity Activity: An FTC Study, the report includes recommendations for patent litigation reforms.

How are patent lawyers reacting to this report? One example has been provided by Michael Risch, Professor of Law at Villanova University. Risch wrote a blog article, The Long Awaited FTC Study on Patent Assertion and Nuisance Litigation, discussing the report using terms a layman can understand. Risch also states, "A scan of the footnotes alone will make a great literature review for anyone new to this area..."

Patent Fee Adjustments

The Federal Register on Oct. 3, 2016, Vol. 81, No. 191, Pages 68150-68183, contains the following proposed rule:

Setting and Adjusting Patent Fees During Fiscal Year 2017

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.
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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office or USPTO) proposes to set or adjust patent fees as authorized by the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (Act or AIA). The USPTO is a business-like operation where external factors affect the productivity of the workforce and the demand for patent products and services. The proposed fee adjustments are needed to provide the Office with a sufficient amount of aggregate revenue to recover its aggregate cost of patent operations (based on current projections), while maintaining momentum towards achieving strategic goals. This rulemaking represents the second iteration of patent fee rulemaking by the USPTO to set fees under the authority of the AIA; the first AIA patent fee setting rule was published in January 2013. This current rulemaking is a result of the USPTO assessing its costs and fees, as is consistent with federal fee setting standards. Following a biennial review of fees, costs, and revenues that began in 2015, the Office concluded that further targeted fee adjustments were necessary to continue funding patent operations,enhance patent quality, and continue to work toward patent pendency goals, strengthen the Office's information technology (IT) capability and infrastructure, and achieve operating reserve targets. Further, in several instances, the fee change proposals offered during the biennial fee review process were enhanced by the availability of cost and workload data (e.g., the number of requests for a service) that was not available in 2013. As a result, the 205 proposed fee adjustments outlined in this proposed rule align directly with the Office's strategic goals and four key fee setting policy factors, discussed in detail in Part V.

DATES: The Office solicits comments from the public on this proposed
 rulemaking. Written comments must be received on or before December 2, 2016 to ensure consideration.

For more information: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-10-03/html/2016-23093.htm

Patent Quality Chat webinar series

On October 11, 2016, from noon – 1 p.m. ET and will discuss "Assistance in Patenting: Patents Ombudsman and Pro Se Assistance."

When normal patent application processing goes awry, the Patents Ombudsman Program can help.

When pro se inventors or small business owners have patent questions, the Pro Se Assistance Program is available for answers.

In this Chat, we will detail these programs and the services they provide. Moreover, through a discussion of the frequent issues facing patent prosecutors today, we will help circumvent some more common problems and get your feedback on other assistance we might be able to provide. Improving interactions with our patent customers is an important step towards enhancing our Excellence in Customer Service as a part of the Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative (EPQI). We hope you will join us for an engaging and enlightening discussion.

To join the chat on October 11, please go to: https://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/2016-patent-quality-chats, then scroll down to the bottom of page.


The Patent Quality Chat webinar series is part of the USPTO’s Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative. Webinar login information is available online, where you can also find information about previous and upcoming Patent Quality Chat topics, such as “Electronic Patent Filing”, “Evaluating Subject Matter Eligibility”, and “Interview Practice.”

2016 Trademark Expo

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host the 2016 National Trademark Expo Friday, October 21, from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 22, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium located at 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20240. The annual Trademark Expo serves to educate the public about trademarks, thereby advancing the USPTO's mission to deliver intellectual property information and education to the public. This free, family-fun, educational event includes exhibitors, kids programs, costumed characters, seminars, and more.

This year’s theme is “Movement and Energy.” Guest speaker Kevin M. Haley, President, Category Management and Innovation of Under Armour, Inc., will kick off the event.

If you are interested in exhibiting please submit the 2016 Application to exhibit. Space is limited.

For additional information, please check out the Trademark Expo website or contact TMExpo@uspto.gov

Patent Assignment Search System Enhancements

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has released a new and enhanced version of the Patent Assignment Search System. Users can take advantage of improvements that make it easier to search and obtain more comprehensive results. Some of the highlights include:

• Improved filter and display of basic search results.
• Ability to view attached patent assignment documents from Assignment Details and Abstract of Title section for all electronically available documents from mid-1998 to present.
• A "Quick Look-Up" of reel/frame number, property number, or name that displays the desired detailed assignment data directly.
• Ability to export data to CSV, PDF, and XML files.
• Direct links to PatFT and AppFT from Assignment Details and Abstract of Title sections.
• An API (application programming interface) for external applications to retrieve/read assignments data (support for XML only).
• User-requested features from Legacy AOTW, such as Assignee Summary/Details and Assignor Summary/Details.
• Improved layout, labeling, and tooltips.

If you have questions or need assistance with the Patent Assignment Search System, contact us at AssignmentSearch@uspto.gov or call the Assignment Recordation Branch at 571-272-3350.

Trademark Assignment Search System Enhancements

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has released a new and enhanced version of the Trademark Assignment Search System. Users can take advantage of improvements that make it easier to search and to obtain more comprehensive results. Some of the highlights include:

• Three ways to search the Assignment database: 

(1) the “Quick Look-up”, which is similar to the old search system allowing you to enter a reel/frame, registration number, assignor name, etc., 

(2) a general “Search” feature, which allows you to input information and search all fields at once for that information, and

(3) an “Advanced Search,” which, among other enhancements,              allows: 

 -The user to search date ranges and use Boolean operators.

 -Use of wildcard search operators and fuzzy operators so the user can retrieve alternate spellings of   any entered information. 

• Search results now are displayed in a more user friendly format. 
• The user can export the trademark search results to CVS, PDF, and XML formats.
• The user can filter the basic search results as needed.

We trust this new search system will be useful and we encourage you to provide any comments or suggestions you may have regarding this new system by sending an email to TMFeedback.