Author Archives: Jeff Shieh

PCT National Stage Entry Deadlines 101

Posted by Jeff Shieh on Thursday, May 17, 2012 @ 10:51 AM

Perhaps the most common, and most important, question we field here at inovia relates to when the PCT application needs to enter the national phase (or stage; the terms are interchangeable). The national stage filing deadlines occur 30 or 31-months … Continue reading →

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USPTO Launches New Tool for Small Businesses and Individuals

Posted by Jeff Shieh on Monday, Apr 16, 2012 @ 02:20 PM

The United States Patent & Trademark Office recently launched a new resource designed to assist small businesses and individuals with their intellectual property needs. Called the“IP Awareness Assessment,”this online tool helps enterprises identify their IP assets and then provides the … Continue reading →

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Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program Between US and Mexico Extended

Posted by Jeff Shieh on Thursday, Apr 5, 2012 @ 01:43 PM

Just in case you missed this bit of news: On March 7, 2012, the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) announced the extension of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program … Continue reading →

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New EPO Fee Schedule Effective April 1, 2012

Posted by Jeff Shieh on Tuesday, Mar 27, 2012 @ 10:37 AM

Unfortunately, it’s not an April Fools’ Day joke. A new fee schedule for the European Patent Office (EPO) comes into effect on April 1, 2012. Luckily, the fee increases are fairly small. Changes for a few of the more common … Continue reading →

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Patents in Sports: Inventions that Changed the Game

Posted by Jeff Shieh on Thursday, Mar 15, 2012 @ 11:01 AM

With March Madness gearing up, it is a given that productivity in the US workplace, law firms included, will plummet. Therefore, in an attempt to satisfy your appetite for sports while imparting at least some legal educational value, this blog … Continue reading →

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Record PCT Filings in 2011

Posted by Jeff Shieh on Monday, Mar 5, 2012 @ 05:43 PM

Today the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released its annual audit of PCT filings from the last year and, relatively speaking, their findings should encourage optimism. In 2011, 181,900 PCT applications were filed with WIPO, breaking the previous record and … Continue reading →

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USPTO Proposed Fee Changes Open For Public Comment

Posted by Jeff Shieh on Thursday, Feb 9, 2012 @ 05:33 PM

Section 10 of the America Invents Act grants the Director the authority to “set or adjust by rule any fee established, authorized, or charged under title 35, United States Code, or the Trademark Act of 1946, for any services performed … Continue reading →

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USPTO Announces Extension of PPH with EPO & JPO

Posted by Jeff Shieh on Tuesday, Feb 7, 2012 @ 02:27 PM

On January 29, 2010, the USPTO entered into a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Pilot Program with its counterpart offices in Europe and Japan. Under the PPH program, Written Opinions or International Preliminary Examination Reports issued by either the European Patent … Continue reading →

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New PPH Between German and Chinese Patent Offices

Posted by Jeff Shieh on Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 @ 11:34 AM

Back on October 10, 2011, the patent offices of China and Germany agreed to create a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program between them. This PPH program, which came into effect on January 23, 2012, is a bilateral work-sharing initiative whereby … Continue reading →

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Top National Stage Entry Countries for 2011, By Industry

Posted by Jeff Shieh on Tuesday, Jan 10, 2012 @ 01:20 PM

We previously ranked our clients’ top national stage filing destinations of 2011. Here, we list the most popular countries based on industry type: Business/Finance 1. China 2. Japan 3. South Korea 4. Australia, Europe 5. Brazil Chemical/Materials 1. China 2. … Continue reading →

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