Patent and Trademark Office September 23, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice of Availability of Patent Fee Changes Under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
Document Number: 2011-24672
Type: Notice
Date: 2011-09-23
Agency: Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is publishing this notice to advise the public of the availability, on the USPTO's Web site, of the patent fee amounts that will be in effect ten days after the date of enactment of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (i.e., September 26, 2011) by operation of the fifteen percent surcharge provided for in section 11(i) and the prioritized examination fee provided for in Section 11(h). The USPTO's Web site also specifies the additional fee for applications not filed by electronic means in effect sixty days after the date of enactment of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (i.e., November 15, 2011) by operation of section 10(h). The USPTO's Web site for fee information is https:// www.uspto.gov/about/offices/cfo/finance/fees.jsp.
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
Document Number: 2011-24506
Type: Notice
Date: 2011-09-23
Agency: Department of Commerce, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Patent and Trademark Office
Changes To Implement the Prioritized Examination Track (Track I) of the Enhanced Examination Timing Control Procedures Under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
Document Number: 2011-24467
Type: Rule
Date: 2011-09-23
Agency: Department of Commerce, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Patent and Trademark Office
On April 4, 2011, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) published a final rule that revised the rules of practice in patent cases to implement a procedure under which applicants may request prioritized examination at the time of filing of an application upon payment of appropriate fees and compliance with certain requirements (Track I final rule). The prioritized examination procedure is the first track (Track I) of a 3-Track examination process designed to provide applicants with greater control over when their utility and plant applications are examined and to promote greater efficiency in the patent examination process. The Office subsequently published a final rule on April 29, 2011, indicating that the effective date of the Track I final rule was delayed until further notice due to funding limitations. The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act includes provisions for prioritized examination that emulate the requirements of the Office's Track I final rule, with revised fee amounts for prioritized examination (including a small entity discount) and a provision that addresses the funding limitations that required a delay in the implementation of the Track I final rule. This final rule implements the prioritized examination provisions of section 11(h) of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act.
Request for Comments on Establishment of a One-Year Retention Period for Trademark-Related Papers That Have Been Scanned Into the Trademark Initial Capture Registration System
Document Number: 2011-24466
Type: Notice
Date: 2011-09-23
Agency: Department of Commerce, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (``USPTO'') is considering establishing a retention period of one year for trademark- related documents submitted on paper that are subsequently scanned into the Trademark Initial Capture Registration System (``TICRS''). TICRS is available to the public through the Trademark Document Retrieval (``TDR'') database on the USPTO Web site. After the expiration of the one-year retention period, the USPTO would dispose of the paper documents unless, within sufficient time prior to disposal, the relevant trademark applicant or owner files a request to correct the electronic record in TICRS, and the request remains outstanding at the time disposal would otherwise have occurred. Specifically, the proposed one-year retention period begins on: September 26, 2011, for papers scanned into TICRS prior to September 26, 2011; or a paper's submission date, for papers scanned into TICRS on or after September 26, 2011. The proposal would reduce the costs currently associated with indefinitely warehousing paper documents, while permitting sufficient time for the review and rarely needed correction of the scanning of such paper documents.
Revision of Standard for Granting an Inter Partes Reexamination Request
Document Number: 2011-24464
Type: Rule
Date: 2011-09-23
Agency: Department of Commerce, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) is revising the rules of practice governing inter partes reexamination to implement a transition provision of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act that changes the standard for granting a request for inter partes reexamination. The Office is also revising the rules governing inter partes reexamination to reflect the termination of inter partes reexamination effective September 16, 2012, which is provided for in the Act. The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act replaces inter partes reexamination by a new inter partes review process effective one year after the date of enactment of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (i.e., September 16, 2012), and provides that any request for inter partes reexamination filed on or after September 16, 2011, will not be granted unless the information presented in the request establishes that there is a reasonable likelihood that the requester will prevail with respect to at least one of the claims challenged in the request. This replaces the prior standard for granting a request for inter partes reexamination that required a substantial new question of patentability (SNQ) affecting any claim of the patent raised by the request. The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act does not revise the SNQ standard for granting an ex parte reexamination request.
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