Posts Tagged: "electronic file sharing"

To facilitate electronic file sharing between IP offices, such as the sharing relating to the priority document exchange (PDX) program and the program by which U.S. search results are delivered to the European Patent Office (EPO), USPTO is proposing to amend its rules of practice to include a specific provision by which an applicant can authorize the USPTO to give a foreign IP office access to all or part of the file contents of an unpublished U.S. patent application. A change to the rules is required to accomplish this due to the confidential nature of unpublished U.S. patent applications, as set forth in 35 U.S.C. 122.