Friday, October 19, 2018

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.

Thursday, October 18, 2018

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:
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.

Monday, October 15, 2018

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

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

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 6th from 8:30am-4:30pm.

In conjunction with the library celebrating its 35th 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


Tuesday, October 9, 2018

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.

Thursday, October 4, 2018

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.

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

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 pagePlease 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:
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.