AAU contact center temporary closure

The USPTO Application Assistance Unit (AAU) contact center will be closed Thursday, Nov. 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET. 

During the closure, callers may leave a voicemail with their contact information or email HelpAAU@uspto.gov. AAU representatives will respond to emails and voicemails once the call center reopens at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Sign-up closes December 2 for the January STEPP Agent/Attorney 3-Day Course to be held in Dallas, Texas

Sunday, Dec. 2, is the last day to sign up for the Jan. 15-17, 2019 STEPP Agent/Attorney 3-Day Course. The course is offered to the public as part of our Stakeholder Training on Examination Practice and Procedure (STEPP) program and will be held at the USPTO Texas Regional Office in Dallas.

Please use our sign-up form if you are interested in attending. 

This training is limited to those who have recently passed the patent bar for the purpose of 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 of the USPTO website.

Artificial Intelligence: IP Policy Considerations Free webcast and public meeting, Dec. 5, 2018

Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to produce a new wave of innovation and creativity, while presenting unique challenges in the area of intellectual property.

On Wednesday, Dec. 5, in the Madison Auditorium of our Alexandria, Virginia headquarters, we will convene an all-day program titled, “Artificial Intelligence: Intellectual Property Policy Considerations.” This public program will feature six panels composed of leading thinkers, policy makers, academics, and practitioners who will examine the growing capabilities of AI, its potential economic impacts, and implications for IP policy and law. The program will be webcast.

Bruce Boyden from Marquette University Law School, Jule Sigall from Microsoft, Joe Gratz from Durie Tangri, and Mary Rasenberger from The Authors’ Guild will discuss the copyright implications when AI is used to create new works or when copyrighted works are used to “train” AI systems.

An exhibit hall featuring booths from a number of companies and institutions showcasing their AI technologies will run concurrently with the program.

Registration is now open. To register or learn more, visit the event page on the USPTO website. You can also follow the event on Facebook and Twitter.

Change in electronic retrieval method for priority documents between USPTO and KIPO

Effective Dec. 1, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Digital Access Service (DAS) will manage electronic retrievals of priority documents between the USPTO and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), in accordance with the WIPO DAS agreement established on April 20, 2009.

Some important details:

• There is no fee for this service.
• Participation for a particular application is voluntary.
• The certified copy requirement is considered satisfied when a priority document is retrieved electronically via the WIPO DAS service, during pendency of the U.S. application.
• The KIPO deposits via the WIPO DAS service certain patent, utility model, and industrial design applications.
• For applications filed on or after Dec. 1, the applicant must provide the WIPO DAS access code associated with the priority application that is to be retrieved via the WIPO DAS service, in addition to the priority claim. The priority claim includes the country code (KR for Korea), application number, and filing date.
• The WIPO DAS access code increases security as a third validation point for each application along with the application number and filing date.

More information will be available on the USPTO Electronic Priority Document Exchange (PDX) Program page of the USPTO website. Read the complete notice.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

The PTAB is hosting a Boardside Chat webinar on Thursday, Dec. 6 from noon to 1 p.m. ET. The topic of the webinar is hearsay and authentication before the Board. Lead Judge Michael Zecher along with Judge Tom Giannetti and Judge Grace Obermann will present. 

The webinar is free and open to all to attend. There will be a Q&A session at the end of the presentation, so please send questions in advance or during the webinar to PTABBoardsideChat@uspto.gov.

More information including the webinar access information can be found at the PTAB "Boardside Chat" webinar series page of the USPTO website.

EFS-Web and Private PAIR authentication change: Sponsorship Tool now available

All EFS-Web and Private PAIR users now have a new, safer, and simpler login. The USPTO is moving from using PKI certificates for two-factor authentication because they will no longer be supported by the software provider.

The Sponsorship Tool is now available for existing registered practitioners to give access to support staff to work on their sponsor’s behalf. Please follow the step-by-step instructions to sponsor your support staff. Once they are sponsored, they will be able to sign in using their accounts and select the registered practitioners for whom they work.

Creating an account

If you or your support staff do not already have USPTO.gov accounts, each of you will need to create one and opt in for two-step authentication. 

Migrating an existing account

If you are a registered practitioner or independent inventor with an existing PKI digital certificate, use our with these step-by-step instructions to link your new USPTO.gov account to your current PKI digital certificate.

Using your new account

There are new EFS-Web and Private PAIR URLs for use with your USPTO.gov account. Make sure to update your bookmarks with these sites:

• EFS-Web: https://efs-my.uspto.gov/EFSWebUIRegistered/EFSWebRegistered
• Private PAIR: https://ppair-my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair

More information

Please review the Patent Electronic System Access Document for additional information on authentication, sponsorship, and verification for accessing patent electronic systems.

We invite you to register for multiple information sessions related to this authentication change, because new information will be added as it becomes available. 

For more information, visit Authentication Change for EFS-Web and PAIR.

If you need assistance creating your USPTO.gov account, please call the USPTO Contact Center (UCC) at 800-786-9199. For assistance with migration, please contact the Patent Electronic Business Center at ebc@uspto.gov or 866-217-9197.

Patent Quality Chat

USPTO Patent Quality Chat webinar series of 2018 continues on Nov. 13, from noon to 1 p.m. ET, with “eMod Update: Accessing EFS-Web and PAIR with USPTO.gov Accounts.”

We will discuss how to access EFS-Web and PAIR with USPTO.gov accounts, with a focus on:

• The authentication change from using PKI certificates to using USPTO.gov accounts;
• How to migrate your existing PKI certificate to your USPTO.gov account; and
• The Sponsorship Tool, which allows existing registered practitioners to sponsor their support staff to work on their behalf.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and answering your questions about the authentication changes to EFS-Web and PAIR. Please send your input and questions to patentquality@uspto.gov before and during the event.

This webinar would be of interest to all those involved in patent prosecution, including attorneys, support staff, and independent inventors.

Registration is not necessary to attend. See our event page on the USPTO website for more information.

The Patent Quality Chat webinar series is presented as a part of the USPTO’s continuous efforts to improve patent quality.

Unauthorized changes to trademark files

Unauthorized changes have been made to a number of active trademark applications and registrations. These changes may be part of a scheme to register the marks of others on third-party “brand registries.” Unauthorized parties have filed forms through our Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) to make these changes. Although these instances affect a small percentage of total applications and registrations, we want to make sure our customers are aware of the problem as we work to resolve it.

See our webpage on unauthorized changes for steps to take if you believe your trademark application or registration has been impacted by an unauthorized change.

EFS-Web and Private PAIR authentication change: Sponsorship tool

EFS-Web and Private PAIR users now have a new, safer, and simpler login. In November, a new sponsorship tool will be available for registered practitioners to sponsor their support staff, who work on their behalf. We will no longer support the existing public key infrastructure (PKI) certificates for two-factor authentication because the PKI authentication software vendor will no longer support the product after 2018. 

Creating an account

If you or your support staff do not already have USPTO.gov accounts, you will need to create one and opt-in for two-step authentication. 

Migrating an existing account

If you are a registered practitioner or independent inventor with an existing PKI digital certificate, use our migration tool with these step-by-step instructions to link your new USPTO.gov account to your current PKI digital certificate.

Using your new account

There are new URLs for EFS-Web and Private PAIR when signing in using your USPTO.gov account. You will need to update any bookmarks you may have:

• EFS-Web
• Private PAIR

More Information

Please review the Patent Electronic System Access Document for additional information on authentication, sponsorship, and verification for accessing patent electronic systems.

We invite you to register for multiple information sessions related to this authentication change, because new information will be added as it becomes available. 

For more information, visit Authentication Change for EFS-Web and PAIR.

If you need assistance creating your USPTO.gov account, please call the USPTO Contact Center (UCC) at 800-786-9199. For assistance with migration, please contact the Patent Electronic Business Center at ebc@uspto.gov or 866-217-9197.

October Inventor Info Chat

Join the next USPTO Inventor Info Chat webinar on Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. to noon ET for an informative discussion on "Responding to Pre-Examination Notices.”

The chat will present tips for more effectively responding to Notices of Missing Parts and Notices of Incomplete Application. One of our patent application processing specialists will be available to answer your questions. Submit questions via email to inventorinfochat@uspto.gov.

To register, visit the Inventor Info Chat webinar event page.

The Inventor Info Chat webinar series is presented by the Office of Innovation Development, which fosters invention and entrepreneurship by providing full access to the U.S. intellectual property system. 

For assistance and to view past programs, please contact oidevents@uspto.gov

Texas A&M University Libraries will be hosting Patent and Trademark Day

It will take place at the Sterling C. Evans Library, Room 204E, in College Station on Tuesday, November 6^th from 8:30am-4:30pm.

In conjunction with the library celebrating its 35^th anniversary of being a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC), the library will be having two librarians from the USPTO provide a full day of workshops on intellectual property, including how to search for existing patents and trademarks.  Below is a schedule of the day’s events:

• 8:30-9:00AM: Sign-in
• 9:00-9:15AM: Welcome and PTRC Services Information
• 9:15-10:30AM: Overview of Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights and Trade Secrets
• 10:30-10:45AM: Break
• 10:45-11:45AM: Local Resources Panel
  • McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship
  • TAMUS Technology Commercialization
  • Research Valley Small Business Development Center
  • School of Innovation
• 11:45AM-12:45PM: Lunch (provided)
• 12:45-2:00PM: 7-Step Strategy for Preliminary U.S. Patent Search Using USPTO Databases
• 2:00-2:30PM: 35th Anniversary Remarks
• 2:30-3:45PM: Conducting a Preliminary Trademark Search Using USPTO Databases
• 3:45-4:15PM: Non-USPTO Solicitations and Invention Promotion Scams: Asking the Right Questions
• 4:15-4:30PM: Review and Questions; Adjournment

Snacks and lunch will be provided at no cost.  We just ask that attendees RSVP so we can plan accordingly for seats, handouts, and food. 

For more information or to register: bit.ly/PatentTrade2018

New webpage for refund information

The new Refund Information page of the USPTO website is a comprehensive resource for refund requestors seeking general information about refunds, their eligibility, and instructions for submitting a request using the new Request for Refund form (PTO-2326). The page includes information about:

1. Time limits
2. Who can submit
3. What to provide
4. Where to submit

For assistance, contact the Refund Branch at 571-272-6500 or RADHelpdesk@uspto.gov.

AFCP 2.0 Extended

The After-Final Consideration Pilot 2.0 (AFCP 2.0) has been extended to Sept. 30, 2019. AFCP 2.0 and Quick Path Information Disclosure Statement (QPIDS) are part of the USPTO's ongoing efforts towards compact prosecution and increased collaboration between examiners and stakeholders.

Learn more on the AFCP 2.0 page on the USPTO website.

If you have any questions, please contact afterfinalconsiderationpilotafcp20@uspto.gov.

Patent Quality Chat

Our Patent Quality Chat webinar continues its 2018 series on Oct. 9, from noon to 1 p.m. ET, with “Leveraging a Harmonized Patent Classification System.”

Join us this month to learn how the USPTO Office of International Patent Cooperation contributes to the development of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system and other international classification harmonization efforts. We will be discussing how patent offices benefit from extensive searching capabilities while external users see improved searching and patenting activity analysis. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and answering your questions about CPC and international classification harmonization efforts.  

This webinar would be of interest to all those involved in patent prosecution and patent searching. 

No registration is necessary to attend. More information, including how to attend, is available on our event page. Please 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 effort to improve patent quality. 

Authentication change for EFS-Web and Private PAIR: Migration tool now available

EFS-Web and Private PAIR users now have a new, safer, and simpler login. The new method grants access to multiple USPTO systems with one consolidated sign-in and eliminates shared credentials by providing practitioners and their support staff with their own USPTO.gov accounts.

The Migration Tool is now available for existing PKI digital certificate holders (registered practitioners and independent inventors) to link their USPTO.gov accounts to their current PKI digital certificates. (To successfully migrate, users must already have a USPTO.gov account. If you do not already have one, create a USPTO.gov account and opt in for two-step authentication.) Please follow the step-by-step instructions to migrate and allow 1–2 business days after you finish the migration steps for the process to complete; you can then use your USPTO.gov account to sign in to EFS-Web and Private PAIR. Customer Numbers associated with the PKI certificate will be migrated to the linked USPTO.gov account. PKI certificates can still be used to sign in to EFS-Web and Private PAIR as well.

Please note that there are new URLs for EFS-Web and Private PAIR for signing in using your USPTO.gov account. You will need to update any bookmarks to the new URLs below:

• EFS-Web: https://efs-my.uspto.gov/EFSWebUIRegistered/EFSWebRegistered  
• Private PAIR: https://ppair-my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair  

The USPTO has expanded information sessions related to this authentication change. We welcome attendees to register for multiple sessions, because new information will be added as it becomes available. Register for one of the sessions.

For additional information, visit Authentication Change for EFS-Web and PAIR.

If you need assistance creating your USPTO.gov account, please call the USPTO Contact Center (UCC) at 800-786-9199. For assistance with migration, please contact the Patent Electronic Business Center at ebc@uspto.gov or 866-217-9197.

New examination guide on changes to procedures for certain trademark documents

We issued a new examination guide, “Changes to Procedures Regarding Certain Documents.” It covers new procedures for:

• Requesting duplicate certificates of registration
• Submitting letters of protest

The examination guide also covers changes to our internal procedure for email correspondence that is returned to the USPTO as undeliverable.

You can direct questions about this new guide to TMTMEP@uspto.gov.

September Inventor Info Chat

The next USPTO Inventor Info Chat webinar is Sept. 20 from 11 a.m. to noon ET on "Responding to Pre-Examination Notices.”

Learn tips for more effectively responding to Notices of Missing Parts and Notices of Incomplete Application. Please send your questions to inventorinfochat@uspto.gov. One of our patent application processing specialists will answer them during the event.

For more information, including how to register, please visit our InventorInfo Chat - Webinar page on the USPTO website or contact oidevents@uspto.gov.