Notice of Change of Address for Fastener Quality Act Correspondence (21Jun2007)
Posted by Kristen Cichocki at June 24, 2007 11:19 AM
Notice of Change of Address for Fastener Quality Act Correspondence (21Jun2007)
View and/or download a PDF of this notice at the following url:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/notices/72fr30703.pdf
Notice Regarding the Trademark Official Gazette (22Jun2007)
Notice Regarding the Trademark Official Gazette (22Jun2007)
The Office expects the size of each of the July issues of the T rademark Official Gazette (OG) to be somewhat larger than usual. During the last six months, issues of the OG have generally included between 4,000 and 5,000 marks published for opposition. The Office expects that 6,000 - 7,000 marks may publish for opposition each week during July. In addition, the number of registration certificates issued each week in July will be larger than normal.
The larger OGs arise out of the Office's elimination of an unnecessary review of OG data, a cost-cutting, efficiency measure in the production of the OG. This measure decreases the time between approval for publication by the Examining Attorney and publication in the OG by about one week. The larger OGs in July result from a temporary overlap of work processed under the old and new production systems. After July, the size of the OG is expected to decrease, and will reflect work processed only under the new production system.
USPTO, U.S. Chamber Team with NC Secretary of State to Educate Local Businesses about the Risks of Counterfeiting and Piracy and the Importance of Intellectual Property Protection (08Jun2007)
Posted by Kristen Cichocki at June 10, 2007 08:21 PM
MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact:
Jennifer Rankin Byrne
(571) 272-8400 or
Jennifer.Rankin_Byrne@uspto.govJune 08, 2007
#07-23
USPTO, U.S. Chamber Team with NC Secretary of State
to Educate Local Businesses about the Risks of Counterfeiting and Piracy
and the Importance of Intellectual Property ProtectionWashington, D.C. —The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark (USPTO) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will team with the North Carolina Secretary of State on Wednesday, June 13, to present a free educational forum and news conference that will highlight the growing threats of counterfeiting and piracy, while also providing information on how businesses can protect and enforce their own intellectual property rights in the U.S. and overseas. Small businesses, which represent 98% of employer firms in the state of North Carolina*, are most at risk for counterfeiting and piracy because they often lack the knowledge and expertise to combat these problems.
Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, will discuss the risks and impacts of counterfeiting and piracy and how businesses can mitigate those risks by making intellectual property protection part of their business plan. Dudas will also highlight U.S. government resources that are available to help businesses protect their intellectual property rights.
WHAT Free educational forum to educate businesses about the threats of counterfeiting
and piracy and how to protect their intellectual property.WHO Featured speakers to include:
- Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO
- North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall
- George E. B. Holding, United States Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice.
- Brian Monks, Vice President, Anti-Counterfeiting Operations, Underwriters Laboratories
- Rob Calia, Senior Manager, Global Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
WHEN Wednesday, June 13, 2007
News Conference 9:00 - 9:30 a.m.
Educational Forum 9:30 a.m - 4:00 p.m.WHERE McKimmon Conference and Training Center
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695There is no charge to attend this event. Lunch will be provided.
Media who would like more information or wish to RSVP for the event should email Jennifer.Rankin_Byrne@uspto.gov or call 571-272-8400.
USPTO to Test Impact of Public Input on Improving Patent Quality in the Computer Technologies (07Jun2007)
MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact:
Brigid Quinn or
Ruth Nyblod
(571) 272-8400 or
brigid.quinn@uspto.gov
ruth.nyblod@uspto.govJune 07, 2007
#07-21
USPTO to Test Impact of Public Input on Improving Patent Quality in the Computer Technologies
Peer Review Pilot is Part of Agency Efforts to Promote Quality as Shared ResponsibilityThe Department of Commerce's U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today released details of a pilot project that could help expedite and improve the examination process in computer technologies. The Peer Review Pilot will give technical experts in computer technology, for the first time, the opportunity to submit annotated technical references relevant to the claims of a published patent application before an examiner reviews it.
"Studies have shown that when our patent examiners have the best data in front of them, they make the correct decision," said Jon Dudas, director of the USPTO. "Examiners, however, have a limited amount of time to find and properly consider the most relevant information. This is particularly true in the software-related technologies where code is not easily accessible and is often not dated or well documented."
The pilot is a joint initiative with the Community Patent Review Project (CPRP), organized by the New York Law School 's Institute for Information and Policy. The pilot will begin on June 15, 2007 and will run for one year.
Technical experts in the computer arts registering with the CPRP website will review and submit information for up to 250 published patent applications. To ensure a broad cross section of computer technology is reviewed, no more than 15 applications will be allowed from any one person or organization.
Existing law allows USPTO to accept prior art from the public, but it doesn't allow the public to submit any commentary related to the art without the approval of the applicant. Thus, consent will be obtained from all applicants whose applications are volunteered and selected for this pilot.
To expedite review of applications used in the pilot, they will be assigned to an examiner as soon as a submission is received from the CPRP. This will shorten the time it normally takes in the computer arts from filing an application to a final decision. Only one submission from the CPRP of up to 10 annotated references will be accepted for each application in the pilot.
This pilot is just one facet of USPTO's broader efforts to find new ways to get the best information in front of examiners before they make a final decision on a patent application. To ensure a vibrant, modern patent system, USPTO also supports implementation of "applicant quality submissions" which would include search and support documents from applicants.
USPTO supports expanding the ability of third parties to submit to the USPTO information they believe is pertinent to a pending application, a concept included in patent modernization legislation now under consideration in the U.S. Congress. In combination, the peer review pilot, applicant quality submissions and expanded third party submissions encourage a highly participatory examination process that will lead to more efficient and effective review of patent applications.
For more information on the peer review pilot go to < http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/opla/preognotice/peerreviewpilot.pdf > [PDF]
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Pilot Concerning Public Submission of Peer Reviewed Prior Art [signed 04 June 2007] [PDF] (06Jun2007)
Pilot Concerning Public Submission of Peer Reviewed Prior Art [signed 04 June 2007] [PDF] (06Jun2007)
View and/or download a PDF of this notice at the following url:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/opla/preognotice/peerreviewpilot.pdf
Simplification of the Electronic Exchange of Priority Documents [signed 04 June 2007] [PDF] (06Jun2007)
Simplification of the Electronic Exchange of Priority Documents [signed 04 June 2007] [PDF] (06Jun2007)
View and/or download a PDF of this notice at the following url:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/opla/preognotice/pdxsimplified.pdf
REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CONCERNING THE PAPER SEARCH COLLECTION(08Jun2007)
REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CONCERNING THE PAPER SEARCH COLLECTION
OF REGISTERED MARKS THAT INCLUDE DESIGN ELEMENTS
(08Jun2007)
View and/or download a PDF of this notice at the following url:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/trademarks/reports/reportcongress20070604.pdf
USPTO CELEBRATES A DECADE OF TELEWORK (04June07)
Posted by Kristen Cichocki at June 4, 2007 09:38 PM
PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Jennifer Rankin Byrne or
Ruth Nyblod
(571) 272-8400 or
jennifer.rankin_byrne@uspto.gov
ruth.nyblod@uspto.gov
USPTO CELEBRATES A DECADE OF TELEWORK
Trademark Work at Home Pilot Program in 1997
Led the Way for Agency's Telework Success
The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today celebrated the ten-year anniversary of its Trademark Work at Home program, the agency's first telework initiative. Based on this successful model, the USPTO expanded its telework offerings to include business units across the agency, with more than 3,000 of the USPTO's approximately 8,500 employees currently participating in some form of telework. Over the past decade, USPTO has received accolades as a leader in the federal government for its successful and innovative telework programs.
The Trademark Work at Home program started as a small pilot project, with 18 trademark examining attorneys working from home three days per week and sharing office space with other program participants two days a week. The hope was that current technology could be leveraged to allow employees to enjoy the benefits of working remotely, while still meeting the same qualitative and quantitative goals as their colleagues who worked in the office five days a week.
After the Trademark Work at Home pilot proved to be successful, the USPTO ultimately grew its telework initiative to include patent examiners and employees in other business units throughout the agency. The ability to telework continues to gain popularity among USPTO employees. Among trademark examining attorneys, 85% of those who are eligible choose to telework. In the patents organization, the USPTO has a goal that 3,000 patent examiners will be teleworking by 2011.
Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, said, "Today we celebrate the anniversary of our Trademark Work at Home Program, which helped to demonstrate how beneficial the practice of telework could be to our entire agency. Telework programs are critical to our strategic vision, and we look forward to working with the Office of Personnel Management and Congress to expand these programs to eventually allow for a nationwide work force."
Telework offers countless benefits to the USPTO, its employees and the environment, including:
- Employee Quality of Life: Allowing employees to telework gives them more time with their loved ones and less time on the road. USPTO employees report that the ability to telework helps them have a better balance between their professional and personal lives.
- Employee Retention: The USPTO has seen that offering employees the ability to telework helps with employee retention, allowing the agency to retain highly qualified employees, saving hiring and training costs and contributing to a high quality of work.
- Maximizing Office Space: As more USPTO employees choose to telework, more office space is made available. This, in turn, gives the agency more flexibility to hire more staff without having to acquire and pay for additional space.
- Reducing Emissions: Telework can mean a significant reduction in auto emissions. For example, among the nearly 950 trademark examining attorneys and patent examiners working remotely four days a week, auto emissions are reduced up to 5,000 tons per year*, compared to if they drove to the office every day.
Rather than taking a “one size fits all” approach, the USPTO has more than a dozen telework programs to address the specific needs of its business units and employees. All of these programs follow procedure set forth in the USPTO Enterprise-wide Telework Policy and are overseen by an agency-wide telework coordinator.
USPTO has received a number of awards for its Trademark Work at Home program. These awards include the 2007 Work-Life Innovative Excellence Award presented by the Alliance for Work-Life Progress, the Telework Program with Maximum Impact on Government for 2006 by the Telework Exchange Tele-Vision Awards; the Telework in the Federal Government Leadership Award for 2004; and several others.
J. Matthew Buchanan 
Stephen M. Nipper 
Douglas Sorocco 