IP Law Daily, PATENT NEWS: USPTO will host Crowdsourcing Roundtable on April 10, 2014, (Mar 25, 2014)

The USPTO has announced that it will be hosting a roundtable event on April 10, 2014 to solicit public opinions concerning the use of crowdsourcing and third-party preissuance submissions to identify relevant prior art and enhance the quality of examination, as well as the quality of issued patents. The event will be held at the USPTO Alexandria campus, in the Madison Auditorium South from 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.

Members of the public who wish to attend the event must register by e-mail to [email protected]. Registration is free and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. All of the details, including registration, Web cast, and comment submission information, are available on the USPTO’s Crowdsourcing Roundtable website.

USPTO speakers will discuss the legal requirements for third-party preissuance submissions, and will report on data that has been collected from third-party preissuance submissions as well as the examiner survey. Additionally, guest speakers from different crowdsourcing organizations and companies will be presenting on topics relevant to the use of crowdsourcing and third-party submissions to identify relevant prior art. The public will also have an opportunity to interact with the presenters during an open discussion.

The USPTO is also requesting written feedback in response to any of the topics identified in the Roundtable Federal Register notice as well as those to be discussed during the event. Written comments must be received on or before April 25, 2014 to ensure consideration.

News: Patent USPTO