In January 2014, the USPTO published proposed rules to increase the transparency of patent ownership information for patent applications and issued patents, which the USPTO termed “attributable ownership proposed rules” as a shorthand title. You can review our attributable ownership proposed rules here.
The proposed changes to the rules of practice will require that the attributable owner, including the ultimate parent entity, be identified during the pendency of a patent application and at specified times during the life of a patent, and seeking written comments on the proposed changes.
It is clear that the White House wants smack down so-called patent trolls. The penalty for those who fail to comply with the rules would be abandonment of the patent.
The USPTO contends that most of the burden for additional reporting will need to be done by companies that have complicated corporate structures and licenses.
The new rules will, according to the PTO filing, “reduce risk of abusive patent litigation by helping the public defend itself against risk of abusive assertions by providing more information about the parties that have an interest in patents or patent applications.”
You may submit written comments by April 24th in one of three ways: (i) email; (ii) postal mail; or (iii) through the government eRulemaking portal. The addresses for each are provided below.
| Method | Address |
|---|---|
| Email (preferred) | AC90.comments@uspto.gov |
| Postal Mail | Mail Stop Comments-Patents Commissioner for Patents P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, VA, 22313-1450 |
| Federal eRulemaking Portal | http://www.regulations.gov |
Thank you kindly for your attention to our attributable ownership rulemaking; we look forward your comments.
