Inevitable Disclosures

On August 6, 2022, the USPTO will begin requiring all USPTO.gov account holders to verify their identities as a condition for filing electronic trademark forms. Read more

To preserve stakeholders’ intellectual property rights, the USPTO has provided various forms of relief to patent and trademark applicants and other affected stakeholders who are unable to meet certain filing deadlines due to the effects of “extraordinary situations” as designated by the USPTO (within the meaning of 37 CFR 1.183, 2.146(a)(5), and 2.148). Read more

The USPTO unveiled a new patent quality metrics webpage which shares the metrics the USPTO uses to gauge patent examination quality with the public. Read more

The USPTO published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the Climate Change Mitigation Pilot Program. Read more

USPTO Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Deputy Director Drew Hirshfeld announced his final day in office will be June 21, capping off a nearly three-decades-long career at America’s Innovation Agency that saw Hirshfeld play an instrumental role in improving key policies shaping America’s intellectual property system. Read more

To reduce pendencies and lower barriers to international patent protection, the USPTO extended its Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property until June 30, 2027. Read more

The Department of Justice, USPTO and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (the Agencies) announced the withdrawal of the 2019 Policy Statement on Remedies for Standards-Essential Patents Subject to Voluntary F/RAND Commitments (2019 Statement). Read more

The USPTO launched a new Sequence Listing Resource Center (SLRC) to better assist applicants who file patent applications containing nucleotide and/or amino acid sequence disclosures. Read more

To provide more certainty and predictability in proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO Kathi Vidal issued updated guidance to the PTAB on permissible uses of applicant admitted prior art (AAPA) in inter partes review proceedings (IPRs) under 35 U.S.C. § 311. Read more

To promote consistent and clear PTAB decision-making, the USPTO has adopted an interim process for PTAB decision circulation and internal PTAB review. T Read more