rethink(ip)

USPTO to Hold Small Business Seminar in Raleigh June 13 (19May2007)

Posted by Kristen Cichocki at May 19, 2007 10:00 AM

USPTO to Hold Small Business Seminar in Raleigh June 13 (19May2007)

U.S. Chamber and North Carolina Co-Sponsoring

The USPTO is joining forces with the United States Chamber of Commerce and the state of North Carolina to hold a free conference on counterfeiting and piracy on June 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be held at the McKinnon Center on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property will speak along with North Carolina Secretary of State, Elaine Marshall and Ron Calia, Senior Manager Global Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative, U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Counterfeiting and piracy cost the U.S. economy between $200 and $250 billion per year in lost sales. It is responsible for the loss of 750,000 American jobs and poses a real threat to health and safety. The trade in illicit goods steals North Carolina jobs, North Carolina tax dollars, and threatens the lives of North Carolina citizens. Seminar attendees will learn what state and government resources are available to protect brands, how they can work with law enforcement to safeguard intellectual property, how to protect the supply chain here and abroad, and what the USPTO and Chamber are doing to defend American business as a whole.

Other speakers on the agenda include: Brian Monks, Vice President, Anti-Counterfeiting Operations, Underwriters Laboratorie,Christina Garner, Associate Licensing Counsel, NASCAR and Del Richburg, Supervisory Special Agent, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Charlotte Office, Immigration and Customs Enforcement

There is no charge for the seminar and lunch will be provided. Registration is required.

>> Register now at http://ncsoskb.com (Use REGISTRATION CODE: June 13)

Modern Marvels Invent Now Winner Announced

Posted by Kristen Cichocki at May 15, 2007 12:03 PM

Modern Marvels Invent Now Winner Announced

Michael Sykes, who invented an environmentally friendly, economical and efficient system for building houses, has been selected as the Grand Prize Winner in the annual Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge. The Challenge, a national competition in search of America’s next great inventor is co-sponsored by the History Channel, the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Sykes was one of five finalists and will receive $25,000. In addition, his invention, the Enertia Building System, will be featured along with the other four finalists during Modern Marvels Invent Now Week on the History Channel May 15-17. Check local listings for times.

In conjunction with this year’s challenge, the USPTO and the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation hosted a two day independent inventors conference at the New York Academy of Sciences in Manhattan. The conference featured presentations by top USPTO officials, successful inventors and entrepreneurs.

Coming Soon: E-Mail with Direct Link to Issued Trademark Office Actions and Appeal Briefs to Replace E-Mailed Office Actions/Appeal Briefs (09May2007)

Posted by Kristen Cichocki at May 11, 2007 11:59 AM

Coming Soon: E-Mail with Direct Link to Issued Trademark Office Actions and Appeal Briefs to Replace E-Mailed Office Actions/Appeal Briefs  (09May2007)

On May 26, 2007 , the USPTO will begin the transition to a new method of notification of applicants who have authorized e-mail communication with the USPTO of each issued Trademark Office action or Examining Attorney's Appeal Brief by an e-mail message containing a direct link to the Office action or Appeal Brief in Trademark Document Retrieval (TDR) ( http://portal.uspto.gov/external/portal/tow ).  The USPTO will not send a separate e-mail with the Office action or Appeal Brief attached.  Implementation will begin with a small number of USPTO attorneys using the new e-mail communication method for Office actions and Examining Attorney's Appeal Briefs.  Full implementation with all USPTO attorneys using the new e-mail communication is expected in June 2007. 

This new approach should benefit both applicants and the USPTO.   For example, discontinuing the sending of an e-mail with the Office action/Appeal Brief attached will eliminate problems stemming from very large e-mails, when, for example, the Office action includes voluminous evidence.  Currently, such situations require dividing the Office action and its evidentiary attachments into multiple e-mails to ensure delivery, which, in turn, necessitates opening different e-mails and files.  TDR will provide direct access to the complete Office action/Appeal Brief and all attachments, either for direct viewing or downloading. Also, TDR gives easy access to all other information in the application file.  TDR is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Commerce Secretary Gutierrez Names Margaret J.A. Peterlin Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (11May2007)

Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez has appointed Margaret J.A. Peterlin to serve as Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the Commerce Department’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

“Margaret is a tremendous asset to the USPTO. With an impressive track record of success across several disciplines, she has established herself as a proven leader, strategic legal thinker, and knowledgeable legislative tactician,” said Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO.  “Margaret will apply these skills to USPTO's challenges, which she well understands from her time representing the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives.  Margaret's leadership will be instrumental in the USPTO's efforts to work with applicants to enhance the quality of their applications, process patents and trademarks in a timely manner, and operate in a way that motivates our employees and inspires our international partners.”

Before joining the USPTO, Ms. Peterlin was Counsel for Legal Policy and National Security Advisor for the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, J. Dennis Hastert.   In this role, she advised the Speaker, House and Senate leadership, and senior staff on legislative policy and strategy, including judiciary issues such as intellectual property protection, and international relations issues. 

She previously was General Counsel to Richard Armey, Majority Leader of the U.S. House.   She clerked on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for Judge Jerry E. Smith.  Ms. Peterlin also served as an Officer in the U.S. Navy for four years, working in the communications field.

A native of Daleville, Alabama, Ms. Peterlin holds a bachelor of arts from the College of the Holy Cross.  She earned a legal degree cum laude from the University of Chicago, where she was the founding Editor in Chief of The Chicago Journal of International Law.   She is a member of the New York State Bar.

United States Patent and Trademark Office Notification of Spring 2007 Business Methods Partnership Meeting (08May2007)

Posted by Kristen Cichocki at May 8, 2007 10:28 AM

United States Patent and Trademark Office Notification of Spring 2007 Business Methods Partnership Meeting (08May2007)

As part of the March 2000 business method action plan, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announces the 2007 Business Methods Partnership Meeting to be hosted by the director and managers of the Business Methods workgroup. Members of the public are invited to attend the Partnership Meeting. The Partnership Meeting is an opportunity for an informal discussion on topics such as current interpretations of subject matter eligibility under 35 USC 101, issues surrounding tax strategy patents, classification and application assignment including the class 705 reclassification project, and other topics specific to business methods. While public attendees will have the opportunity to provide their individual input, group consensus advice will not be sought.

DATES AND LOCATION: The Partnership Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 19, 2007, from 1:00 P.M.-5:00 P.M. at the USPTO MADISON AUDITORIUM (SOUTH), Concourse Level, Madison Building, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 22313.

Requests for Attendance at the Partnership Meeting: Requests for attendance will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis according to the time and date of receipt of each request. In order to ensure a broad cross-section of attendees, the USPTO reserves the right to limit the number of attendees from any single organization or law firm. Therefore, organizations and law firms must designate their official representatives. Individuals will be notified of accepted requests for attendance by the USPTO no later than one week prior to the date of the meeting. Non-accepted requesters will also be notified by the USPTO. No one will be permitted to attend without an accepted request.

Requests for attendance at the Partnership Meeting should be submitted to the attention of Jeff Smith via facsimile at (571) 273-6763, or by electronic mail through the Internet to jeff.smith4@uspto.gov. Requests for attendance must include the attendee's name, affiliation, title, mailing address, and telephone number. Facsimile number and Internet mail address, if available, should also be provided. Requests must be received by June 5, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Jeff Smith by telephone at (571) 272-6763 (in addition to the facsimile number and e-mail address given above).

USPTO’s EFS-Web Electronic Patent Filing System Celebrates Successful First Year (02May2007)

Posted by Kristen Cichocki at May 2, 2007 12:13 PM

USPTO's EFS-Web Electronic Patent Filing System Celebrates Successful First Year

Today More than Half of All New Patent Applications Filed Through EFS-Web

The Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced today that EFS-Web, its Web-based filing system for patent applications, has exceeded the goals set forth for its first year.   Most notably, for the first time in USPTO’s history, more new patent applications are being filed electronically each week than through the traditional paper application process.   In addition, more than 700,000 applications and related documents have been filed using EFS-Web to date.

These milestones were celebrated today in a ceremony at the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, where Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO Jon Dudas also recognized the patent system users and USPTO staff who made EFS-Web’s first year a success.  Special guest speakers included representatives from EFS-Web users Motorola and the law firm of Fish & Richardson, as well as independent inventor Michael Gurin.  (See below for a full list of law firms, corporations and individuals who helped make EFS-Web’s first year a success.)

“EFS-Web has exceeded our expectations for its first year, and is a great step forward in making IP protection easier and more efficient, while improving patent quality,” said Under Secretary Dudas.  “As corporations, law firms and inventors alike discover the many benefits of filing patent applications electronically, we expect the adoption rate to grow dramatically.”

Jonathan Meyer, SVP for Motorola, said, “We have found using EFS-Web has helped us to greatly streamline the patent process, saving us both time and money.  We appreciate that the USPTO sought our input, and the input of other patent filers, as they were creating EFS-Web.  The result is a system that truly meets our needs.”

Rolf Hille, Director of Practice Systems for Fish & Richardson, said, “As we continue to shift toward a paperless operation, the availability of EFS-Web has greatly helped us in accelerating that transition.  In doing so, we are able to be more efficient and accurate in our day-to-day operations and in our efforts to secure patents for our clients.”

Inventor Michael Gurin, President of CogniTek Management Systems, added, “As an independent inventor in the rapidly changing worlds of alternative energy and nanotechnology, I have found that EFS-Web has become an important part of how I do business.  In fact, I’ve filed more than a dozen patent applications using EFS-Web in the last year alone.”

The shift from a paper-based system to an electronic environment offers several  advantages for patent filers.  Patent system users can file applications and related documents virtually anytime and anywhere.  Filers may use their existing software, and may submit documents by simply attaching PDF files.  EFS-Web offers additional practical flexibility to the intellectual property community by allowing staff to file documents prepared and reviewed by patent attorneys.  Filers may also pay filing fees over the Internet.

EFS-Web submissions are automatically processed through the USPTO.  Patent filers receive rapid access to their applications through the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system, so they can view their submissions online and confirm that documents have been securely and accurately received.  EFS-Web also offers visual proof that patent applications and documents have been received in the form of an automatic electronic receipt.

Developed with extensive input from the intellectual property community, EFS-Web launched on March 16, 2006, as a simple, safe, and secure way to file patents online.   More than 80 corporations, law firms and independent inventors participated in the EFS-Web pilot program.  Prior to deployment, nearly 200 pilot participants attended EFS-Web onsite and Web-based trainings.