On November 20, 2015, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) launched Dossier Access – a public online interface providing access to the file histories of related applications from participating patent offices around the world. Dossier Access is available at http://globaldossier. uspto.gov.

Background -

The Global Dossier Initiative was established in June 2012 by five major patent offices to modernize the global patent system by developing a single portal/user interface to manage international patent examination information. The Global Dossier service has been available to USPTO Examiners since Spring 2015, and the launch of Dossier Access represents the extension of the Global Dossier to the public. In addition to the USPTO, the European Patent Office (EPO), Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), and the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China (SIPO) also provide a Global Dossier portal to the public. The Japanese Patent Office (JPO) will be introducing Global Dossier in 2016. The USPTO will continue to enhance and expand the services available through Global Dossier...