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USPTO Announces Roundtable on Use of Crowdsourcing to Identify Prior Art
Practical Law Legal Update 7-587-7586 (Approx. 3 pages)
USPTO Announces Roundtable on Use of Crowdsourcing to Identify Prior Art
by Practical Law Intellectual Property & Technology
| Published on 10 Nov 2014 • USA (National/Federal) |
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced that it will host a roundtable on USPTO use of crowdsourcing to identify relevant prior art, and seeks written comments and public participation.
On November 10, 2014, the USPTO issued a notice announcing that it will host a roundtable to further explore the use of crowdsourcing tools to obtain relevant prior art. The USPTO has requested written comments on the topic and invites public participation (in person or via webcast) at the roundtable. The roundtable will explore the following discussion points:
- How the USPTO can utilize crowdsourcing tools to obtain relevant prior art to enhance the quality of examination and issued patents.
- Ways the USPTO can leverage existing private sector solutions for the electronic receipt and hosting of crowdsourced materials as a means to provide prior art for examiners.
The roundtable, which will be held on December 2, 2014 beginning at 1 p.m., is part of the USPTO's ongoing implementation of President Obama's Executive Actions on high-tech patent issues. For more information on the executive actions, see Legal Update, White House Announces Initiatives to Reduce Patent Troll Lawsuits. Interested parties may register to attend no later than November 25, 2014, and may submit written comments by December 9, 2014.
Update: The USPTO has extended the deadline for submitting written comments to January 13, 2015. The USPTO's website includes more information, including the topics on which interested parties may submit comments.