September 28, 2009

Although it is still several months away, the EPO will dramatically changes its practice effective April 1, 2010 relating to divisional applications and European search reports.  A review of the changes is presented below: Limitation on Filing Divisional Applications In…

September 28, 2009

One of the most important parts of intellectual property, which tends to be overlooked, is establishing ownership of intellectual property.  In many cases, employees are hired without having to sign any type of employment agreement, or if they do sign…

September 28, 2009

On July 6, the Federal Circuit granted rehearing en banc in Tafas v. Doll regarding the USPTO’s power to implement new rules on restrictions for continuations and claim limitations.  No comment concerning the underlying opinion was given beyond announcing its…

September 18, 2009

The USPTO announced on June 30, 2009, that the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) became the fourth country to participate in the Priority Document Exchange Program (PDX).  This allows patent applicants to exchange electronic priority documents between the USPTO and WIPO at…

September 8, 2009

The Patent and Trademark Office has announced that beta testing of its new website is underway.  The front page at least is a marked improvement for navigation and ease in searching for relevant information.  Check out the new site at…

June 29, 2009

The U.S. Supreme Court has granted certiorari in the Bilski case, a challenge to the decision handed down by the Federal Circuit last October excluding pure business methods from patent protection. Additionally, the Bilski decision set some roadblocks in the…