USPTO and EAPO Establish PPH Pilot Program
In a notice issued in the Official Gazette (1446 OG 52) last month, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced that it was implementing a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program with the Eurasian Patent Office of the Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO). PPH programs permit applicants who receive a positive ruling on patent claims from one participating office to request accelerated prosecution of corresponding claims in another participating office.
Because the EAPO is not currently a Global or IP5 PPH participating office, the USPTO noted that it would be partnering with the EAPO on a bilateral basis only. The three-year pilot program began on January 1, 2018 and may be extended if necessary to adequately assess the feasibility of the PPH program.
Requirements for participation in the USPTO-EAPO PPH can be found here.
USPTO Releases Revised MPEP
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced via a Patent Alert e-mail last month that the Ninth Edition, Revision 08.2017 of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) has been released. The new version of the MPEP includes changes to chapters 200, 700-1000, 1200, 1400, 1500, 1800, 2000-2300, 2500, and 2700. According to the Office's Alert, Appendices L and R have been revised to include laws and rules as of August 31, 2017, and Appendices T and AI have been revised to reflect the PCT Articles, Rules, and Administrative Instructions that were in force as of July 1, 2017. The new version of the MPEP can be accessed at the USPTO's MPEP webpage.
USPTO to Offer Sessions on Structured Text Features
Last fall, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced that EFS-Web-registered and Private PAIR users could now file structured text via EFS-Web and access structured text submissions, structured text Office actions, and XML downloads via Private PAIR (see "USPTO News Briefs," October 25, 2017). As a result, EFS-Web-registered users can submit application parts in DOCX format, and Private PAIR users have the option to download XML or DOCX versions of PDF documents.
In a Patent Alert e-mail sent last month, the Office announced that members of the eCommerce Modernization (eMod) team will be conducting DOCX Info Sessions in which information regarding the new structured text features, including the ability to file structured text via EFS-Web and access structured text submissions, structured text office actions, and XML downloads via Private PAIR will be shared. The sessions, which will be one hour in length and limited to 20 attendees, will include a demonstration. According to the session registration page, four session dates and times are currently available: March 7, 2018 at 2:00 pm ET; March 21, 2018 at 2:00 pm ET; April 5, 2018 at 2:00 pm ET; and April 18, 2018 at 11:30 am ET.
