The America Invents Act was signed into law on Friday September 16, 2011.
?
This legislation contains some very significant changes to US Patent and Trade Mark Practice. However, some of these changes will not be effective for 12-18 months.
Important changes include:
- There are first inventor to file priority provisions.
- There are new post grant procedures.
- There are new inter-parties procedures.
More specifically, the Act has immediate effect to increase Patent and Trade Mark Office fees by 15% on almost all fees including maintenance fees.
Article Published September 21st, 2011
