Carl Oppedahl runs the extremely helpful e-filing listserv from his site www.patents.com. Most recently, Mr. Oppedahl has provided a brief summary and analysis of the PTO’s next steps in the inevitable move to electronic patent filings.
- The PTO is worried about whether the PDF format is good enough — for instance, there are cases where PDF printouts vary according to the system doing the printing. The PTO would like comments on this issue.
- A web-based electronic filing system will be in beta testing this fall for a limited number of participants.
- The beta system includes electronic filing of IDS forms.
- Mr. Oppedahl expects the web-based filing system to be wildly successful.
Files & Links: