Generally speaking, the various Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programs in which the United States has participated since 2006 have all allowed patent applicants to use successful examination of a patent application in one jurisdiction to expedite examination of a related application in another jurisdiction. However, despite improvements in usability after years of pilots, the rules […]
Widerman Malek Law Blog
First-to-File and Continuation Applications
By: Dan Pierron As has been well publicized, starting March 16, the U.S. patent system will join the rest of the world by transitioning from a First-to-Invent system to a First-to-File system, where regardless of when they invented it, the first applicant to file an application with the USPTO has priority. Many are predicting a torrent of […]
Life After Allowance – What’s a Patentee to Do?
By: Dan Pierron Receiving a notice of allowance is the patent equivalence of reaching the promised land. After years of effort and expense, the Patent Office has deemed your application worthy of becoming a patent, and issued a Notice of Allowance accordingly. However, this does not necessarily mean the end of the road as far as […]