Biotechnology, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Customer Partnership (BCP) Meeting

Message from the USPTO:

The USPTO’s next Biotechnology, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Customer Partnership (BCP) Meeting will be jointly hosted by Technology Centers 1600 (Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry) and 1700 (Chemical and Materials Engineering). This meeting will be on September 14, 2015 and will be simultaneously available at locations in the USPTO Headquarters (Alexandria, VA) and the Midwest Regional Office (Detroit, MI).  Participants will be able to interact with Office personnel in person at both locations, or alternatively, via webcast.

Some of the topics to be discussed by USPTO staff and stakeholders will include:

·         Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) Overview

·         Trends in Subject Matter Eligibility for Biotechnology Inventions (A Customer Perspective)

·         Practitioner’s Perspective on 101 as applied to Biotech Applications

·         Third Party Submission

·         AIA 130 Declaration

·         PCT National Stage Filing Tips

·         Double Patenting

Registration Information: Please email USPTOBCP1600@USPTO.GOV (link sends e-mail) to RSVP by September 9, 2015. Please include “BCP RSVP” in the email subject line.  In the email body, please include the following information:

·         Your name, title and organization

·         Contact information (e-mail, phone, etc.)

·         Your attending location ( Alexandria, Detroit, or online)

For additional information, please visit: http://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/biotechnologychemicalpharmaceutical-customer-partnership-september-14-2015 and the AIPLA BCP site.

USPTO/AIPLA Roadshows on Patent Quality and AIA Trials

The USPTO and AIPLA (American Intellectual Property Law Association) will co-host a series of cross-country roadshows later this month with stops in Santa Clara, California; Dallas, Texas; and Alexandria, Virginia. Each daylong program will focus on enhancing patent quality (morning session) and conducting AIA trials (afternoon session), with numerous speakers from the USPTO and private practice.

CLE is available, and lunch is included. To register to attend, please visit: http://www.aipla.org/learningcenter/AIARoadShows/Pages/default.aspx

Deadline to register is Aug.18. Hope you’ll join us for a full day of learning from the experts!

Schedule:

Monday, Aug. 24, 2015

• Santa Clara University, Locatelli Center
• Co-sponsored by the High Tech Law Institute of Santa Clara Law

Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015

• Belo Mansion, Dallas
• Co-sponsored by the IP Section of the Dallas Bar Association

Friday, Aug. 28, 2015

• USPTO headquarters, Madison Auditorium

Agenda:

Time (Local Time)	Topic
9 to 9:10 am	Opening Remarks
9:10 to 9:45 am	Track 1: Patent Quality Initiative Overview
9:45 to 10:45 am	Track 2: Clarity of the Record and Drafting High Quality Applications
10:45 to 11 am	BREAK
11 to Noon	Track 3: Interviews and Measuring Quality
Noon to 1:30 pm	LUNCH-Luncheon Speaker: Russell Slifer, Deputy Director of the USPTO
1:30 to 1:50 pm	Track 4: PTAB State of the Board
1:50 to 2:45 pm	Track 5: Proposed AIA Trial Rule Changes
2:45 to 3:30 pm	Track 6: Hot Issues in AIA Trials
3:30 to 4 pm	BREAK
4 to 5 pm	Track 7: Actual AIA Trial Hearing

 

Windows 10 Issues with Select Patent Pages

Windows 10 comes installed with a new web browser, Microsoft Edge, that does not support plug-ins and will not run Java. Because Java is required for authentication to EFS-Web and Private PAIR, this impacts your ability to access EFS-Web and Private PAIR via Microsoft Edge.

To access EFS-Web and Private PAIR using Windows 10, Oracle is recommending the use of alternative browsers such as Firefox and Internet Explorer. IE11 will also be available on Windows10. For additional information regarding Java compatibility and instructions on how to access IE11 on Windows 10, please visit: http://www.java.com/en/download/faq/win10_faq.xml

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is working on a longer term plan to improve the overall authentication process. For USPTO updates regarding this issue, please visit either of our Announcements pages:

• EFS – Web Announcements: http://www.uspto.gov/patents-application-process/applying-online/efs-web-announcements

• PAIR Announcements: http://www.uspto.gov/patents-application-process/checking-application-status/pair-announcements

If you need assistance with this matter, or have questions on any eFiling topic, please visit the Patent Electronic Business Center webpage: http://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/support-centers/patent-electronic-business-center for comprehensive contact information, FAQ’s, and other eFiling resources.

July 2015 Update on Subject Matter Eligibility

The July 30, 2015 edition of the Federal Register (Vol. 80, no. 146) on page 45429 contains a request for comment about subject matter eligibility:

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) prepared interim guidance (2014 Interim Patent Eligibility Guidance) for use by USPTO personnel in determining subject matter eligibility in view of then-recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court (Supreme Court). The USPTO published the 2014 Interim Patent Eligibility Guidance in the Federal Register, and sought public comment on the 2014 Interim Patent Eligibility Guidance. The USPTO has since produced an update pertaining to patent subject matter eligibility titled July 2015 Update: Subject Matter Eligibility, which is available to the public on the USPTO's Internet Web site, in response to the public comment on the 2014 Interim Patent Eligibility Guidance.

The July 2015 Update: Subject Matter Eligibility includes a new set of examples and discussion of various issues raised by the public comments, and is intended to assist examiners in applying the 2014 Interim Patent Eligibility Guidance during the patent examination process. The USPTO is now seeking public comment on the July 2015 Update: Subject Matter Eligibility.

COMMENT DEADLINE DATE:  To be ensured of consideration, written comments on July 2015 Update: Subject Matter Eligibility must be received on or before October 28, 2015.

For more information: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-07-30/html/2015-18628.htm

FREE Webinars in August -- Hosted by the USPTO and MBDA: Getting a Good Handle on Intellectual Property

Are the processes for securing intellectual property protection for your ideas, business tag lines, product names, or even registering your company’s name overwhelming for you? Well, we’re here to help by providing sound answers questions about patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

As part of a national intellectual property (IP) outreach program, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), will co-host three free, one-hour webinars. These webinars will help business owners, entrepreneurs, institutions, law firms, and inventors gain useful advice, and recommendations by answering the most prevalent IP questions.

Register today for the webinar series and learn some valuable tips that will help to protect your innovations and market your products.

August 11 – IP Overview: What is Intellectual Property 
August 12 – Patents: Design Patents Update (Hague Agreement)
August 13 – General: Getting Assistance from the USPTO

Register at http://1.usa.gov/1HHmv26

All webinar begins at 1 p.m. Eastern Time