Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Changes to Implement Micro Entity Status for Paying Patent Fees

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 104
(Wednesday, May 30, 2012)] [Proposed Rules][Pages 31806-31814]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-12971] =========================================================
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
37 CFR Part 1 [Docket No.: PTO-P-2011-0016] RIN 0651-AC78

Changes to Implement Micro Entity Status for Paying Patent Fees

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

To see the complete text of this proposed rule, access http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-05-30/html/2012-12971.htm

 ( The June 5, 2012 blog entry for Inventive Step by patent attorney Matt Osenga discusses micro entity status and provides an estimate of median income figures. Check also median income figures from the Census Bureau.)
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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) is proposing to amend the rules of practice in patent cases to implement the micro entity provision of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. Certain patent fees set or adjusted under the fee setting authority in the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act will be reduced by seventy-five percent for micro entities. The Office is proposing changes to the rules of practice to set out the procedures pertaining to claiming micro entity status, paying patent fees as a micro entity, notification of loss of micro entity status, and correction of payments of patent fees paid erroneously in the micro entity amount. In a separate rulemaking, the Office is in the process of proposing to set or adjust patent fees under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, including setting fees for micro entities with a seventy-five percent reduction.

 DATES: Comment Deadline Date: Written comments must be received on or before July 30, 2012.