The design patent “Rocket Docket” program is the system the US Patent Office established to speed up the examination of design patent applications. Recognizing that design patents cover the external appearance of an item, and that this external appearance, contrasted…
The CARES Act gave the US Patent and Trademark Office the authority to toll, waive, adjust, or modify deadlines related to patent and trademark owners in light of the coronavirus pandemic. At the end of March, the USPTO announced it…
About two months ago, the Trademark Office announced entities would have to begin disclosing their personal email addresses in trademark applications and trademark registrations. I joined almost 200 trademark attorneys in protest of this rule. We argued that it would…
A design patent protects the ornamental and aesthetic aspects of a functional item. Whereas a utility patent protects the parts of the item, the way its parts cooperatively move or operate together, how they are structured and arranged, etc., design…
UPDATE: APRIL 28: The USPTO has updated its program which changes some of the information below regarding dates. Read more here. The US Patent and Trademark Office is allowing a 30-day extension to some trademark filing and fee deadlines missed…
UPDATE: APRIL 28: The USPTO has updated its program which changes some of the information below regarding dates. Read more here. The Patent Office is allowing certain filing and fee deadlines to be extended due to the coronavirus pandemic in…
The Patent and Trademark Office will not be requiring handwritten signatures during COVID-19 outbreak. Correspondence with the Patent Office requires a signature of some form. Generally, an electronic or S-signature is sufficient to submit a document to the Patent and…
UPDATE: APRIL 28: The USPTO has updated its program which changes some of the information below regarding dates during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here. The US Patent and Trademark Office has made extensions available to filing, response, and fee…
On Friday, February 15th, a number of new specimen rules governing trademark applications went into effect. All trademark applications, and all correspondence in trademark applications and registrations, must now be filed electronically expect in limited circumstances. The Trademark Office had…
Sonos pioneered wireless multi-room audio in the early 2000s and first brought consumer products to the market in 2005. Now it has taken on a juggernaut in smart home technology. The battle highlights the need for – and difficulty of…