The USPTO’s Transition to Electronic Patent Grants

In its ongoing efforts to modernize patent examination practices, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced it will transition to electronic patent grants (eGrants) and discontinue mailing traditional paper copies of a letters patent. The transition is estimated to save nearly $2 million in annual printing and mailing costs for the agency. For customers, the transition is expected to reduce patent pendency and provide recipients with the official patent on the day of issuance. While a reduction in patent pendency is welcome, there are notable impacts of the transition that need to be appreciated by practitioners and the patentees they represent to avoid jeopardizing patent rights. Read more