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DOC/PTO

RIN: 0651-AC90

Publication ID: Fall 2014

Title: Changes to Require Identification of Attributable Owner
Abstract: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) is proposing changes to the rules of practice to facilitate the examination of patent applications and to provide greater transparency concerning the ownership of patent applications and patents. This initiative is one of a number of executive actions issued by the Administration that are designed to ensure the highest-quality patents, enhance competition by providing the public with more complete information about the competitive environment in which innovators operate, enhance technology transfer and reduce the costs of transactions for patent rights by making patent ownership information more readily and easily available, reduce abusive patent litigation by helping the public defend itself against frivolous litigation, and level the playing field for innovators. The Office is proposing in this document to 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. The Office is specifically proposing that the attributable owner be identified on filing of an application (or shortly thereafter), when there is a change in the attributable owner during the pendency of an application, at the time of issue fee and maintenance fee payments, and when a patent is involved in supplemental examination, ex parte reexamination, or a trial proceeding before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). The Office is also seeking comments on whether the Office should enable patent applicants and owners to voluntarily report licensing offers and related information to the Office, which the Office will then make available to the public in an accessible online format
Agency: Department of Commerce(DOC)	Priority: Other Significant
RIN Status: Previously published in the Unified Agenda	Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Final Rule Stage
Major: No	Unfunded Mandates: No
CFR Citation: 37 CFR 1
Legal Authority: 35 USC 2(b)(2)

Legal Deadline: None

Timetable:

Action	Date	FR Cite
NPRM	01/24/2014	79 FR 4105
NPRM Comment Period End	03/25/2014
Final Rule	12/00/2014
Final Rule Effective	02/00/2015

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: No	Government Levels Affected: None
Small Entities Affected: No	Federalism: No
Included in the Regulatory Plan: No
RIN Data Printed in the FR: No
Agency Contact: Raul Tamayo Department of Commerce Patent and Trademark Office 600 Dulany Street, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313 Phone:571 272-7728 Fax:571 273-7728 Email: raul.tamayo@uspto.gov