Posts Tagged: "electronic filing system"

An Exclusive Interview with USPTO Director Michelle Lee

There were no topics ruled out of bounds for this 30 minute interview, not even the Supreme Court’s recent decision to accept cert. in Cuozzo, although as an attorney myself I know better than to ask questions that would have certainly provoked a polite “no comment” response in the face of ongoing litigation. Nevertheless, our conversation was wide ranging. We discussed the release of the Copyright White paper, which among other things recommends expanding eligibility for statutory damages in copyright infringement actions. We also discussed Lee’s recent visit to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the power outage that brought down USPTO electronic filing systems, the Office’s patent quality initiative, the new patent classification system, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and more.

Gene Quinn

January 28, 2016

USPTO experiences catastrophic failure of electronic patent and trademark systems

On December 22, 2015, at approximately 7:00 pm, the USPTO experienced a catastrophic failure of electronic information systems due to what is being called a major power outage at the Office’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Could a power outage be responsible for electronic filing systems and information systems being down for nearly a week? Yes, it is certainly possible, but if you read between the lines it seems to me that the USPTO does not definitively know what happened or why. Given the importance of the USPTO electronic systems why didn’t the USPTO have real, robust, and redundant contingency plans? Why did they choose not to answer questions? The one question I specifically posed was whether the Office could confirm that no information or files were lost. I have not yet received an answer to that question.

Gene Quinn

December 28, 2015

USPTO Systems Maintenance on December 5th

Due to maintenance required on USPTO systems, access to Public PAIR, Private PAIR, EFS-Web and EFS-Web Contingency will be unavailable beginning 12:01 a.m. and ending at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, December 5th ET.

U.S.P.T.O.

November 30, 2015

USPTO Trademark System Maintenance Scheduled for Weekend

Any action or fee due on Thursday, February 13, will be considered timely on the next succeeding business day on which the USPTO is open. Because the TEAS forms cannot be reprogrammed to accept delayed filings, if customers choose to file tomorrow, they will need to employ workaround procedures, which may include filing petitions. Thus, it is strongly recommended that any submissions due today be filed today, if possible.

U.S.P.T.O.

February 13, 2014

PTO eFiling Modernization & Next Generation Fee Processing

Hearing from our online filers will assist us in gathering requirements, creating functional designs, and evaluating product releases. We will hold focus sessions to discuss the proposed process changes. We want to hear your thoughts on how the patent application process can work for you, identify any concerns, and work towards resolutions to create a user-friendly text-based filing system. We look forward to the opportunity to work with you. To participate in these focus sessions or for additional information please send an email to [email protected].

U.S.P.T.O.

August 27, 2012

USPTO Seeks Comment on Lowering Trademark Application Fees

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is seeking public comment on the possibility of adjusting trademark application fees, so as to lower the fees for all applicants willing to file and communicate electronically with the USPTO. The efficiencies achieved by trademark electronic filing and communications have put the USPTO in a position to potentially reduce the overall collection of trademark application fees, and the Office wishes to adjust the fees in a way that further promotes efficiency both for users and the USPTO. A Notice of Inquiry has been published in the Federal Register.

U.S.P.T.O.

August 16, 2012

President Obama Calls USPTO Filing System “Embarrassing”

Earlier today President Barack Obama, perhaps with the best of intentions, demonstrated that he is not all that familiar with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and how they handle patent applications. The short of it is that what President Obama said to tech executives was wrong on the facts, but at least partly correct in spirit. Essentially, President…

Gene Quinn

January 14, 2010