PTO Hosting Public Information Events on America Invents Act

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host two public events next week to provide information on and receive public input regarding the Office’s continuing implementation of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA). The events are part of ongoing USPTO outreach efforts to gather public feedback on its continuing implementation of the AIA.

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director David Kappos will participate in both events, joined by several senior USPTO officials. An in-person roundtable addressing the upcoming shift to a first-inventor-to-file system will be held Thursday, Sept. 6, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Va. It is open to the public and will be webcast. A separate webinar will be held Sept. 7 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. to discuss all aspects of the AIA.

At the roundtable on Sept. 6, USPTO leaders will discuss proposed rules and examination guidelines to implement the first-inventor-to-file provision. The USPTO currently is seeking public comment on its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for that implementation. An agenda of the roundtable and instructions for accessing the webcast are available online at the USPTO website.

The webinar on Sept. 7 is the third in a series since passage of the AIA. Participants will include USPTO Director David Kappos, Deputy Director Terry Rea, Commissioner for Patents Peggy Focarino, General Counsel Bernard Knight, Chief Judge James Smith, and Lead Judge Michael Tierney. Chief Communications Officer Todd Elmer will moderate.

 

WHAT:         USPTO First-Inventor-to-File Roundtable

WHEN:         Sept. 6, 2012 at 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. EDT

WHO:           USPTO Director David Kappos, Senior Patent Counsel Robert Bahr

WHERE:       Madison Auditorium on the concourse level of the Madison Building, 600   Dulany Street, Alexandria, Va. 22314

WEBEX:

Event number: 997 151 983, Event password: 123456
URL: https://uspto-events.webex.com/uspto-events/onstage/g.php?d=997151983&t=a
Teleconference (US/Canada): +1-408-600-3600, Access code: 997 151 983

 

WHAT:         USPTO America Invents Act (AIA) Webinar

WHEN:         Sept. 7, 2012 at 12:30 p.m. EDT

WHO:           USPTO Director David Kappos, Deputy Director Terry Rea, Commissioner for Patents Peggy Focarino, General Counsel Bernie Knight, Chief Judge James Smith, and Lead Judge Michael Tierney. Chief Communications Officer Todd Elmer

WEBEX:

Event number: 990 842 706, Event password: 123456
URL: https://uspto-events.webex.com/uspto-events/onstage/g.php?d=990842706&t=a
Teleconference (US/Canada): +1-408-600-3600, Access code: 990 842 706

 

The AIA, signed into law by President Obama in September 2011, is the most significant reform to the U.S. patent system in more than a century. It is speeding up the patent process so innovators and entrepreneurs can bring their new inventions to market even faster, thereby spurring innovation and competition, creating jobs, and growing the U.S. economy. Most of the rules the USPTO is implementing for the AIA go into effect Sept. 16, 2012.