The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has begun rolling out a series of proposed rule changes as part of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. Earlier this month, the USPTO published four notices of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register.The proposed patent rule changes address the following:
- Inventor’s oath and declaration
- Third party submission of prior art in a patent application
- Citation of prior art in a patent file
- The statute of limitations for Office of Disciplinary Proceedings
What’s Next?
The USPTO is soliciting feedback on the proposed rule changes and will accept public comments through March 5, 2012.
According to a USPTO press release, the office will publish additional AIA-related proposed rules in the Federal Register for public comment in the coming weeks. The soon-to-come proposed rule publications cover supplemental examination, post-grant review, inter partes review, transitional program for covered business methods, and derivation proceedings.
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