Tuesday, November 27, 2018

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.

Monday, November 26, 2018

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.

Thursday, November 1, 2018

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:
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.