Patent Law Practice Center

Satellite Patent Office Update: Denver Opens June 30, 2014

The America Invents Act furthered the era of the satellite Patent Office. The law signed by President Obama on September 16, 2011, laid the foundation for the establishment of at least three satellite offices in addition to the one already planned for Detroit, Michigan. The cities selected for those three satellite offices were Denver, San Jose and Dallas.

The latest announcement from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on satellite offices came recently with the announcement that its permanent satellite office in Denver, Colorado, would officially open on June 30, 2014. The USPTO Denver satellite office will be located in the Byron G. Rogers Federal Building (pictured left) in Denver’s central business district.

The Byron G. Rogers Federal Building is home to multiple federal agencies and offers convenient access to downtown and suburban sites, including through the metro region’s array of public transportation options. The office will eventually house patent examiners, Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) judges, and outreach officials in a 45,000-square-foot space. There are currently nine PTAB judges working in a temporary location opened in Lakewood, Colorado, in January 2013. In addition to those judges, all of whom will relocate to the new office, the USPTO is currently seeking to hire additional judges and patent examiners for the permanent office, as well as a Deputy Regional Director for Outreach. The USPTO says that  100 examiners, 20 administrative patent judges, and their support staff will eventually be housed at the Denver location. All vacancy announcements are posted on www.usajobs.gov.

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Patent News from the Holiday Week

Last week, we in the United States celebrated the Fourth of July, which landed right in the middle of the week on Wednesday. Having a national holiday on a Wednesday typically leads to many taking vacation time and creating their own very long holiday weekend. So while you were away, or perhaps distracted by the scalding hot heat that more than half of the United States suffered from, there were a number of noteworthy patent stories. Yes, decision makers and deal makers did not take a break last week. Not by a long shot.

So while you were otherwise occupied, what did you miss? Here is a run down of five of the most noteworthy stories from last week.

 

1. WIPO Under Fire For Sending Computers to UN Sanctioned Countries

Earlier this year, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) came under fire for sending computers to North Korea in violation of United Nations sanctions. See WIPO Embroiled in North Korean Computer Deal. Now WIPO is under fire again. It seems they not only shipped computers to North Korea, but also shipped computers to Iran as well. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) called this latest WIPO transgression “an outrage.” The United States Department of State is attempting to work with WIPO to make sure that new procedures are put into place to ensure this never happens again.

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