By Donald Zuhn --
USPTO Closed on December 26
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a notice today informing stakeholders that the Office will be closed on Friday, December 26, 2014. The notice indicated that December 26 will be considered to be a Federal holiday within the District of Columbia under 35 U.S.C. § 21 and 37 C.F.R. §§ 1.6, 1.7, 1.9, 2.2(d), 2.195, and 2.196, and therefore, that "[a]ny action or fee due on these days will be considered as timely . . . if the action is taken, or the fee paid, on the next succeeding business day on which the USPTO is open," which is Monday, December 29, 2014.
USPTO to Hold Trade Secret Symposium
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced that it will be holding a Trade Secret Symposium from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on January 8, 2015. The symposium, which will provide an opportunity for members of the public to hear from representatives of academia, government, legal practice and industry on important trade secret issues facing innovators today, will take place in the Madison Auditorium South at the USPTO Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Topics to be covered at the symposium include legislative proposals regarding trade secret protection, the challenges to estimating losses due to trade secret theft, the intersection of patents and trade secrets, issues in civil litigation involving trade secrets, international considerations, and the response to trade secret theft in the U.S. Additional information regarding the symposium can be found here.
USPTO Unveils New Website
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has unveiled a beta version of its new website. The Office noted that it polled hundreds of users to create the new website design, which makes it easier to access services and accomplish tasks. The website is also more mobile friendly. A YouTube video on the website's new features can be found here. The Office is also seeking public comments regarding the website redesign. The last redesign of the Office's website took place in June of 2009 (see "USPTO Issues Beta Release of New Website").
USPTO Launches New Assignment Search
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has launched a new assignment search tool. According to the Office, the tool is part of President Obama's Open Data and Open Government initiatives to improve data transparency and accessibility. The tool offers more search fields and filters than the prior version of the Assignments on the Web for Patents (AOTW-P) tool. The Office is seeking public feedback regarding the new search tool.
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