By Christopher P. Singer --
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office sent out an e-Commerce update today, June 5, 2008, that provided information regarding its new First Action Interview Pilot program (previously covered by Patent Docs here) and digital certificate maintenance tips (for EFS-Web and Private PAIR users). Regarding digital certificates, the notice confirmed that it is common for digital certificates to expire if users fail to take steps to maintain them. The USPTO suggests four tips (below) that should help to minimize the time required to fix any of the common expiration problems associated with digital certificates.
1. Use the authorization code and reference number received from the Electronic Business Center (EBC) to create and download your digital certificate within 120 days of receipt. After 120 days, the authorization code and reference number will expire and will need to be replaced.
2. Immediately after downloading your digital certificate, you should create a set of digital certificate self-recovery codes, which can be done here. Save these codes in a secure location. These codes allow you to immediately recover your certificate should any problem occur. If you do not create these self-recovery codes, the only recovery option you have is to contact the EBC and ask them to recover your certificate. EBC-assisted recovery will likely take several business days.
3. Active digital certificates are automatically renewed for indefinite access. This renewal occurs automatically while you are using your certificate. Therefore, it is important to use your certificate regularly, at least every 90 days.
4. If you have copied your digital certificate on multiple computers, be sure to document the locations of each copy. After automatic renewal, only the copy in use at that time of renewal will be valid; all other copies must be updated separately. If you experience problems with one of the copies of your certificate, the EBC suggests that you try the following steps before contacting them: (a) review the modification dates of all the copies of your digital certificate; (b) determine which copy is the most current; and (c) replace all outdated copies with a new copy of the most recent certificate.
The EBC Customer Service Center is also available to answer your specific questions about EFS-Web, PAIR, PKI, or any other aspect of the e-Commerce initiative. You can contact the EBC by phone at 866-217-9197 (toll-free) or 571-272-4100 or by an e-mail: [email protected].
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