USPTO to Host Meeting on Harmonizing Patent Laws Feb. 3

December 21, 2004

USPTO to Host Meeting on Harmonizing Patent Laws Feb.3
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host an “exploratory” meeting February 3-4, 2005 at USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, to discuss the current state of substantive patent law harmonization and possible approaches for moving harmonization forward.

According to a press release by the USPTO, harmonization of patent laws will facilitate obtaining worldwide protection, which is essential to success in the global marketplace.

Talks on substantive patent law harmonization at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have been delayed until May 2005 as a result of disagreement among WIPO member states over the content of a proposed harmonization treaty and the best way to proceed with discussions.

“This meeting will be an important step in getting substantive patent law harmonization back on track,” Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property, Jon Dudas noted.

“Harmonization promises to bring substantial benefits, including uniform patent examination, reduced patent office workloads, and enhanced patent quality. The sooner we can agree on a basic framework, the sooner we can begin providing these benefits to patent applicants, patent offices and the public alike,” he concluded.