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Final Rules for Implementing the First-Inventor-to-File Provisions of the America Invents Act

The transition to the first-inventor-to-file (FITF) system occurs on March 16, 2013. To prepare for implementing the change to the FITF system, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), on February 14, 2013,...more

A First Look at the Final First Inventor to File Rules

The USPTO’s final First Inventor To File rules and Examination Guidelines were published in the February 14, 2013 edition of the Federal Register. While many of the final rules are identical to the proposed rules, there are...more

America Invents Act: Inter Partes Review

What is an inter partes review? An inter partes review (“IPR”) enables a third party to challenge one or more claims in an issued patent at the United States Patent & Trademark Office (“Office”). IPR was designed to...more

Patent Watch: Pregis Corp. v. Kappos

[A] third party cannot sue the PTO under the APA to challenge a PTO decision to issue a patent. On December 6, 2012, in Pregis Corp. v. Kappos, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Prost, Clevenger,...more