Monthly Minute | Design Patents
Under the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) modernization efforts, the time between paying the issue fee and issuance of the patent is being reduced. Faster patent issuance gives patent applicants less time...more
On April 15, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) informed the public that, effective May 13, 2025, the USPTO will be accelerating the process for issuing patents. Currently, the time between Issue...more
In June 2023, the European Union (EU) will introduce the European Unitary Patent. At the outset, the European Unitary Patent will be enforceable in the 17 States that have ratified the agreement between the EU and the EPO:...more
USPTO Delays Fee for Failure to File Applications in DOCX Format - In a notice published in the Federal Register earlier today (86 Fed. Reg. 66192), the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced that it was delaying the...more
In a notice published in the Federal Register (85 Fed. Reg. 58038) on September 17th, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced that it was implementing a deferred-fee provisional patent application pilot program in...more
Pre-AIA and Post-AIA Issues Presented by the On-Sale Bar - The “on-sale” bar to patentability refers to a sale or offer for sale of an invention that can invalidate the patent for that invention. The...more