Patent Quality Chat

The USPTO’s Patent Quality Chat webinar series continues June 13, from noon – 1 p.m. ET on “Patent Quality Metrics.” The speakers will be discussing the latest evolution of our patent quality metrics that divides them into:

1. Product indicators, focusing on correctness and clarity;
2. Process indicators, tracking efficiency and consistency; and
3. Perception indicators, validating our first two indicators.

More information about these metrics is available on our Quality Metrics page. 

We look forward to hearing your feedback on our current metrics and how to make our updated metrics available to you on a regular basis. Send your input and questions to patentquality@uspto.gov before and during the event.

The Patent Quality Chat webinar series is presented as a part of the USPTO’s continuous quality improvements through the Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative (EPQI).  

Visit the Patent Quality Chat page to learn more and attend this event.

July 2017 Revision of Patent Cooperation Treaty Procedures

The Federal Register, Vol. 81, Number 101 (Friday, May 26, 2017) [Pages 24249-24253] presents the following final rule:

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) is amending the rules of practice to implement certain amendments made to the Regulations under the Patent[[Page 24250]]Cooperation Treaty (PCT) that will take effect on July 1, 2017, concerning the transmittal by a Receiving Office to an International Searching Authority of documents relating to an earlier search or classification.

DATES:

Effective date: This rule is effective July 1, 2017.

Applicability date: The changes in this final rule apply to international applications having an international filing date on or after July 1, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Boris Milef, Senior Legal Examiner,International Patent Legal Administration, at (571) 272-3288.

For more information: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-05-26/html/2017-10870.htm

Sign-Up Closes May 26 for July STEPP Training

May 26 is the last day to sign up for the July 11-13 USPTO training on examination practice and procedure. The course is offered to members of the public as part of our Stakeholder Training on Examination Practice and Procedure (STEPP) program and will be held at the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Va. 

This training is intended for those who have recently passed the patent bar for the purpose of practicing before the USPTO. The training will make use of statutes, rules, and guidelines relevant to practicing before the USPTO. The course is led by USPTO trainers and is based on material developed for training patent examiners and other employees. More information, and a proposed upcoming course schedule, is available on the USPTO STEPP page

Meet the Patent Experts (In Spanish)

The USPTO Texas Regional Office (TXRO) is hosting a Meet the Patent Experts in Spanish.  This is part of our ongoing outreach to independent inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. During this seminar you will have the opportunity to learn about patents and the patent process along with how to file a patent application using our Electronic Filing System (EFS-Web). This seminar will conducted completely in Spanish.

Thursday, June 1, 2017

12:00 – 1:00 pm CT

at the Texas Regional Office

If you are unable to come to the Texas Regional Office in Dallas, TX. 

This event will be webcasted to Patent & Trademark Resource Centers (PTRCs) in the following states:

Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

Please use the link below to find the PTRC nearest to you.

Please call ahead to ensure the seminar is being shown at your particular PTRC.

https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/support-centers/patent-and-trademark-resource-centers-ptrc/ptrc-locations

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.

Beware of scam from IPTA

Scam solicitations mailed to trademark registrants and applicants in the US continue to proliferate. A client this week forwarded me the offer below from “IPTA”, the International Patent & Trademark Agency.


For detailed information, please go to: http://tinyurl.com/mffxek9

Possible Streamlined Trademark Cancellation Proceedings

As part of the effort to improve the integrity of the trademark register, the USPTO is exploring the possibility of a streamlined version of trademark cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). Streamlined proceedings would enable third parties to more efficiently challenge marks they believe are not in use in commerce.

 The streamlined proceedings would:

• Be limited to the grounds of abandonment and nonuse;
• Permit discovery only as to standing;
• Require each party to submit its proof with its pleading; and
• Move on an accelerated schedule.

Please read the full notice in the Federal Register (82 Fed. Reg. 22517). The notice includes instructions for submitting comments. The comment period is open until August 14.

Inventor Info Chat

Join USPTO on May 18, from 11:00 am to noon EST, for an Inventor Info Chat, “How to file a Patent Application electronically", with an overview of:

• The Electronic Filing System (EFS-Web) – including a live demonstration
• Patent Application Information Retrieval
• eCommerce Modernization Project systems

For more information, please visit the event page.

National Summer Teacher Institute

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will conduct its 4th Annual National Summer Teacher Institute on Innovation, STEM, and Intellectual Property July 16-21, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The program combines experiential training tools, practices, and project-based learning models to support elementary, middle, and high school teachers in incorporating concepts of making, inventing, and innovation into classroom instruction. The central focus of this year's Institute is on the creation and protection of intellectual property—this includes inventions, knowledge discovery, creative ideas, and expressions of the human mind that may have commercial value and are protectable under patent, trademark, copyright, or trade secret laws. Intellectual property will be modeled as both a teaching and learning platform to help inspire and motivate student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, computer science, and other fields of study such as innovation and entrepreneurship.

Presentation speakers and hands-on workshop instructors will include experts from the USPTO, noted scientists and engineers, and representatives from other Federal Government agencies and non-profit organizations. Participants will be introduced to teacher-friendly instructional tools, lesson strategies, and innovation practices designed to enhance student learning and outcomes in the classroom.

Travel and lodging expenses will be covered for teachers who are selected to participate in this program and reside more than 50 miles from the venue in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations and USPTO travel policy. If you have any questions regarding this program, please contact NSTI_Applications@uspto.gov

To apply: https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/outreach-and-education/national-summer-teacher-institute

Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) Surveys

According to the Federal Register Volume 82, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 3, 2017) Notice on Pages 20587-20589, the Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) is seeking comments on its proposed surveys as mentioned in the following Abstract:

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) surveys international and domestic participants of the USPTO's Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) training programs to obtain feedback from the participants on the effectiveness of the various services provided to them in the training programs. GIPA was established in 2006 to offer training programs on the enforcement of intellectual property rights, patents, trademarks, and copyright. The training programs offered by GIPA are designed to meet the specific needs of foreign government officials (including judges; prosecutors; police; customs officials; patent, trademark, and copyright officials; and policy makers) concerning various intellectual property topics, such as global intellectual property rights protection, enforcement, and strategies to handle the protection and enforcement issues in their respective countries. This collection contains three surveys directed to separate audiences: Pre-program, post-program, and alumni. The pre-program survey is designed to obtain the background and experience of a participant and is delivered to the participant prior to their arrival for a GIPA training program. The post-program survey is used to analyze the overall effectiveness of the program and is conducted at the conclusion of the training program. The alumni survey is used to determine the value of the GIPA

[[Page 20588]]

training program on the future job performance of the participant. The data obtained from these participation satisfaction surveys will be used to evaluate the percentage of foreign officials trained by GIPA who have increased their expertise in intellectual property, the satisfaction with the intellectual property program, and the value of the experience as it relates to future job performance. The data received from these surveys will also be used to help the USPTO meet organizational performance and accountability goals through the following legislative mandates: Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the President's Management Agenda (PMA), and the Office of OMB's (OMB's) Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART). These surveys also support various business goals developed by the USPTO to fulfill customer service and performance goals, to assist the USPTO in strategic planning for future initiatives, to very existing service standards, and to establish new ones.

The GIPA surveys are voluntary surveys. The USPTO expects to hire a survey contractor to conduct these surveys. The surveys will primarily be conducted electronically, but the USPTO will also have paper surveys to mail to those participants who have poor Internet connectivity or have access restrictions. In-person surveys may also be conducted. Survey participants will be able to access the online surveys through links provided to them in email invitations. The links provided in these emails are individualized links that are uniquely tied to the survey participants so passwords, user IDs, or usernames are not needed to access the surveys.

Information collected from the surveys will be kept private, to the extent provided by law. Responses to the pre-program, post-program, and alumni surveys can be linked to the participants and to the demographic data collected from them during the various GIPA training programs. However, the actual data recorded from the surveys will not be directly linked to the participants. Any data linking the individual to their responses will not be retained after the data has been aggregated. The USPTO will have limited access to the data. The only data that the USPTO can access will be the aggregated survey data and the frequency of the responses. The agency will not be able to view the individual responses or the data related to the survey. The survey contractor will have access to individual survey responses for analysis purposes only and will only report the aggregated data and the frequency of the responses. The USPTO does not intend to collect any personally identifying data from the participants and intends to maintain the contact information for the participants in a separate file for the quantitative data.

For more information including how to comment see https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-05-03/html/2017-08897.htm

Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC) Quaraterly Meeting

The Trademark Public Advisory Committee reviews the policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with respect to trademarks, and will advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO on these matters.

Friday, May 5 Public Session 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. (EST)

To watch the public session online using WebEx, please follow the instruction below.
1. Click on TPAC Public Meeting (link is external). (link is external)
2. Sign in with First name, Last name, email address and Event password: 1111.
3. Click the “Join Now” button.
4. You should see the “Starting WebEx” screen and you are in.
5. You will need to dial into the meeting using the following information:
    Audio conference Call-in toll number (US/Canada): 1-650-479-3208
    Access code: 993 755 764.
6. Type any questions for the panelists in the Chat box.
Assistance:
The playback of UCF (Universal Communications Format) rich media files requires appropriate players. To view this type of rich media files in the meeting, please check whether you have the players installed on your computer by going to https://uspto-events.webex.com/uspto-events/onstage/systemdiagnosis.php(link is external).

Time	Activity
9:00 - 9:10	Introduction and Welcome (Dee Ann Weldon-Wilson, Trademark Public Advisory Committee, Chair)
9:10 - 9:20	Legislative Update (Dana Colarulli, Director, Office of Governmental Affairs)
9:20 - 9:30	Policy and International Update (Shira  Perlmutter, Chief Policy Officer and Director for International Affairs)
9:30 - 10:00	Trademark Operations Update (Mary Boney Denison, Commissioner for Trademarks)
10:00 - 10:15	OCFO Update (Frank Murphy, Acting Chief Financial Officer)
-- 10 Minute Break --
10:25 - 10:50	TTAB Update (Gerard Rogers, Chief Administrative Judge)
10:50 - 11:15	OCIO Update (John Owens, Chief Information Officer / John Cyrus, TMNG Portfolio Manager)
11:15 - 11:30	Public Comments Adjourn Public Meeting

For more information on TPAC Quarterly Meeting, please visit:
TPAC Quarterly Meeting from USPTO website.
 

Federal Register -- Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) Surveys

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 3, 2017)]

[Notices]

[Pages 20587-20589]

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[FR Doc No: 2017-08897]

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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office

Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) Surveys

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.3506(c)(2)(A)), invites comments on a proposed extension of an existing information collection.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 3, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit any comments by any of the following methods:

     Email: InformationCollection@uspto.gov. Include ``0651-0065 comment'' in the subject line of the message.

     Mail: Marcie Lovett, Records and Information Governance Division Director, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.

     Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information should be directed to J. David Binsted, Program Manager, Global Intellectual Property Academy, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone at 571-272-1500; or by email at james.binsted@upsto.gov. Additional information about this collection is also available at http://www.reginfor.gov under ``Information Collection Review.''

For more information see https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-05-03/html/2017-08897.htm

Developments in Trade Secret Protection — Public Symposium

 

Under U.S. law, a trade secret is a commercially valuable piece of information not generally known or readily ascertainable to the public that is subject to reasonable measures to maintain confidentiality. The Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 established a federal private civil cause of action for the misappropriation of a trade secret. Its aim is to provide businesses with a uniform, reliable, and predictable way to protect their valuable trade secrets anywhere in the country. In light of this new law, and the continued domestic and international attention being paid to trade secrets, the USPTO will hold a public symposium on developments in the protection of trade secrets. Topics to be discussed include: (1) Measuring the Value of Secrecy; (2) Use of the DTSA in Practice; (3) Differences in Trade Secret Protection in Foreign Jurisdictions; and (4) Considerations of Business Owners in International Cases. Experts from academia, private legal practice, international organizations, and industry will serve as panelists.

Federal Register Notice:
Additional details about the meeting appear in the Federal Register notice, published April 11, 2017.

Registration:
Registration is free, and is required to attend the meeting in person in Alexandria. The meeting will be open to members of the public to attend, space permitting, on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is available online in advance of the meeting at the link below, and may also be available on site on the day of the meeting, space permitting. Register to attend (link is external).

Webcast:
The public meeting will be available for viewing via live webcast (link is external).

Agenda:
The final agenda can be viewed here.

Additional information:
The registration website (link is external) provides additional information about directions and accommodation. For non-press inquiries, please contact Michael Smith, Jenny Blank, or Hollis Robinson at the USPTO’s Office of Policy and International Affairs, telephone (571) 272-9300, or by tradesecrets@uspto.gov (link sends e-mail)