Patent and Trademark Office May 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Changes to the Trademark Rules of Practice To Mandate Electronic Filing
Document Number: 2018-11353
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2018-05-30
Agency: Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) proposes to amend the Rules of Practice in Trademark Cases and the Rules of Practice in Filings Pursuant to the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks to mandate electronic filing of trademark applications and submissions associated with trademark applications and registrations, and to require the designation of an email address for receiving USPTO correspondence. This proposed rule would further advance the USPTO's IT strategy to achieve complete end-to-end electronic processing of trademark-related submissions, thereby improving administrative efficiency by facilitating electronic file management, optimizing workflow processes, and reducing processing errors.
Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery
Document Number: 2018-10768
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-05-21
Agency: Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments on a proposed extension of an existing information collection; 0651-0080: Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.
Proposed Collection; Comment Request; “Rules for Patent Maintenance Fees”
Document Number: 2018-10690
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-05-21
Agency: Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees
Document Number: 2018-10530
Type: Notice
Date: 2018-05-17
Agency: Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office
On November 29, 1999, the President signed into law the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act (the ``Act''), Public Law 106-113, which, among other things, established two Public Advisory Committees to review the policies, goals, performance, budget and user fees of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with respect to patents, in the case of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, and with respect to trademarks, in the case of the Trademark Public Advisory Committee, and to advise the Director on these matters. The America Invents Act Technical Corrections Act made several amendments to the 1999 Act, including the requirement that the terms of the USPTO Public Advisory Committee members be realigned by 2014, so that December 1 be used as the start and end date, with terms staggered so that each year three existing terms expire and three new terms begin on December 1. Through this Notice, the USPTO is requesting nominations for up to three (3) members of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, and for up to three (3) members of the Trademark Public Advisory Committee, for terms of three years that begin on December 1, 2018.
Changes to the Claim Construction Standard for Interpreting Claims in Trial Proceedings Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board
Document Number: 2018-09821
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2018-05-09
Agency: Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (``USPTO'' or ``Office'') proposes changes to the claim construction standard for interpreting claims in inter partes review (``IPR''), post-grant review (``PGR''), and the transitional program for covered business method patents (``CBM'') proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (``PTAB'' or ``Board''). In particular, the Office proposes to replace the broadest reasonable interpretation (``BRI'') standard for construing unexpired patent claims and proposed claims in these trial proceedings with a standard that is the same as the standard applied in federal district courts and International Trade Commission (``ITC'') proceedings. The Office also proposes to amend the rules to add that the Office will consider any prior claim construction determination concerning a term of the involved claim in a civil action, or an ITC proceeding, that is timely made of record in an IPR, PGR, or CBM proceeding.
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