Patent Baristas

Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), testified in an oversight hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property. Among the topics addressed in the testimony were patent and trademark quality and timeliness; hiring, retention […]

The Secretary of Commerce has delegated responsibility for administering the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  The Medal, presented each year by the President of the United States, is the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement. The Medal is awarded to innovators whose efforts have made profound […]

Many readers asked about the “suspicious procedures” at the USPTO regarding the Proposed Continuations Limit Rule, the Proposed Claims Limit Rule, the Proposed IDS Rule, and the Final Continuations and Claims Limits Rule.  See Tafas v. Dudas case to enjoin enactment of the USPTO’s new rules. The question is, can’t things be explained by the ordinary […]

Another interesting brief filed with the district court asking it to issue a summary judgment that the retroactive application of PTO rules on continuation and claiming practice is foul play is by Polestar Capital Associates and The Norseman Group. See Tafas v. Dudas case to enjoin enactment of the USPTO’s new rules, “Changes to Practice for […]

The American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Intellectual Property Owners Association have filed briefs with the district court asking it to issue a summary judgment that the retroactive application of PTO rules on continuation and claiming practice is poor sportsmanship. See Triantafyllos Tafas v. Jon W. Dudas, et al. consolidated with Smithkline Beecham Corporation, […]

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a suit against the Secretary of Commerce for hiring an allegedly incompetent person to office. See Gregory Aharonian, et al. v. Carlos Gutierrez, Secretary of Commerce (07-1224) . Patent antagonist Greg Aharonian complained that the appointment of Margaret Peterlin to the position of Deputy Under Secretary […]

According to a report from the Government Accountability Office, the time it takes to examine and allow patent applications has increased due to “increases in the volume and complexity of patent applications.” In FY 2007, USPTO’s patent examiners: Examined 362,227 applications – the highest number in history. Quality compliance was 96.5 percent – equaling last […]

The USPTO has released the list of organizations and persons that submitted comments in response to the July 2007 Rules of Practice Before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences in Ex Parte Appeals, Notice of Proposed Rule Making, first published in the Federal Register at 72 Fed. Reg. 41472 and then published in the […]