The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) announced on December 15th that the deadline for filing petitions under the Green Technology Pilot Program, originally set to expire on December 31 of this year, is being extended through March 30, 2012 or until 3,500 applications have been accorded special status under the program, whichever occurs [...]
The US Patent and Trademark Office USPTO now offers a $400.00 incentive to small entities for filing a Utility Patent Application. The new rule became effective on November 15, 2011, as a result of the passage of the American Invents Act (AIA). See Federal Register Notice The new rule adds a charge of $400.00 to [...]
The Senate yesterday passed the America Invents Act (S. 23) by a vote of 87-3.Although some provisions were dropped, the Senate bill retained the following key elements: Third party submissions of prior art for pending applications; USPTO fee setting authority; Supplemental examination authority; Repeal of the residency requirement for Federal Circuit judges; Micro entity status [...]
Tomorrow the House is expected to take up a bill that would allow the US Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) to set its own fees for its operations, but would not bar Congress from diverting some of the fees for other purposes. Both the American Intellectual Property Law Association (“AIPLA”) and The Coalition for 21st [...]
