First Action Interview Pilot Program News Today

To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: As the world pivoted to navigate obstacles brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the USPTO not only adapted to address the challenges, but appeared to make the most of this period by improving existing procedures. Widely publicized adjustments, such as efficiently moving 13,000 examiners and other employees to a remote working environment 1 and reducing the average examination time 2, overshadow equally laudable advances that have resu...

To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) has announced that the First Action Interview Pilot Program ("Program") will end on January 15, 2021. The Program provides an applicant with an interview prior to their first Office Action on the merits with further modified prosecution procedures, including: (1) a condensed pre-interview communication from an examiner citing relevant prior art and identifying proposed reject...

Tuesday, December 29, 2020 In a Director’s Forum blog on the importance of interview practice to the patent examination process, the USPTO announced that the First Action Interview Pilot Program is going to end on January 15, 2021, largely due to underuse.  The First Action Interview Pilot Program The First Action Interview Pilot Program has been running for 12 years, but its popularity never took off. The basic premise of the program is explained on its USPTO webpage: Under the...

To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: In a Director’s Forum blog on the importance of interview practice to the patent examination process, the USPTO announced that the First Action Interview Pilot Program is going to end on January 15, 2021, largely due to underuse.  The First Action Interview Pilot Program The First Action Interview Pilot Program has been running for 12 years, but its popularity never took off. The basic premise of the program is explained on its USP...

Those who qualify for “Small Entity Status” at the USPTO enjoy a fifty-percent reduction for a variety of fees, including the basic filing fee, search fee, and examination fee. However, it should be noted that certain fees are not reduced, such as international application fees. Individuals, small business concerns, and non-profit organizations may all qualify for small entity status, regardless of the country in which they are located. Small business concerns are those who have fewer than...