The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) allows certain qualifying entities to receive discounts on various patent fees by identifying themselves as a “small entity ” or a “micro entity.” Below, we outline the requirements...more
In recent years, Congress has devoted a great deal of attention to patent reform. Those efforts led in 2011 to passage of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA), which was the most extensive revision of the patent laws in...more
Senator Coons (D-Del) has introduced patent reform legislation that is similar to but different from the Goodlatte Innovation Act pending in the House. One section of S. 632 that does not have a parallel in H.R. 9 relates to...more
As part of new rules introduced by the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA), a new section that defines a “micro entity” was added to Title 35 of the United States Code. As a subset of small entity status, micro entity...more
In This Issue: Comments on New AIA Rules; Implementing the New Micro Entity Status at the U.S. Patent Office; Obama Administration Focuses on Chinese Trade Secret Misappropriation; and Tiffany & Co. v. Costco Wholesale...more
On March 19, 2013, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) implemented a new fee schedule as authorized by the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (Act). Among numerous changes in the fees for patent services...more
As we advised previously, on September 16, 2011, the President signed the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, the most comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. patent system in more than 60 years. Most of the changes required by the...more
Last week, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a notice in the Federal Register (77 Fed. Reg. 75019) issuing the Office's final rule implementing the micro entity provision of § 10 of the Leahy-Smith America...more
Determination of an entity’s size (e.g., small, micro or standard) at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an important issue that affects budgets and dictates the applicable fee schedules at the USPTO....more