CIPA Webinars
Formal Requirements for US Patent Applications
Slingsby Partners’ Director of Practice Operations, Charlotte Knight, and Senior Paralegal, Emma Norris, have held three webinars for the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) on formal aspects of filing patent applications at the US Patent Office. Recordings of the webinars can be found on CIPA’s website under “Past Webinar Recordings” for 2020.
IDS REQUIREMENTS IN THE US
This webinar asks the question; what is an Information Disclosure Statement? Why is it required? When does one need to be filed? What are the implications if it isn’t filed? This is an area of US law which generates confusion amongst patent administrators and can result in common mistakes being made. We address these common mistakes and how to prevent them from happening again.
INVENTOR DECLARATION/ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR US FILINGS
What do you do if an inventor refuses to sign an assignment document as they have fallen out with their previous employer? What do you do if you cannot find an inventor as they have relocated without forwarding information? What do you do if an inventor is medically incapacitated? This webinar focuses on the concepts of inventorship, official documents that have to be signed by the inventor in the US patent process and the options available for dealing with difficulties in obtaining signatures. These topics are particularly relevant during the current pandemic, as more inventors than usual may be unavailable to sign official documents.
MAKING USE OF SMALL ENTITY STATUS IN THE US: BENEFITS AND PITFALLS
This webinar covers concepts such as the ‘owner of a patent’ and how if the owner fulfils certain ‘key criteria’, they are entitled to claim ‘small entity status’. The webinar includes an overview of the key criteria, the benefits of claiming small entity status and how such entitlement can be lost. It will also cover the risks associated with claiming small entity status, such as fee errors relating to entitlement, and how to mitigate these risks in your day to day work. The webinar also gives a brief overview of other jurisdictions that have a similar system.
