Sarah FackrellIf you are a member of the patent bar: How long did it take for you to study/prepare to take the exam? How much time time lapsed between the date you applied (or decided to apply) and the date you took the exam?
Are you a law student or attorney who is interested in joining the design patent bar? If you haven't applied yet, why not?
Okay, we're almost an hour in but we're finally getting the first word on the new design patent bar at #DesignDay2024.
The speaker has a degree in .... mole bio.
Law360 covers the new design patent bar, with commentary from yours truly: https://www.law360.com/ip/articles/1782900/uspto-kicks-off-new-design-patent-practitioner-bar-
USPTO Kicks Off New Design Patent Practitioner Bar - Law360
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is now accepting applicants for its design patent practitioner bar, opening the door to practitioners with more artistic qualifications to prosecute design patent applications without having to meet the more rigorous standards for utility patent practitioners.
The USPTO is now accepting applications for the brand-new design patent bar:
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USPTO/bulletins/3832a56
Also, there are three types of patents:
1. Utility patents
2. Design patents
3. Plant patents
The patent bar focuses on utility patents. From what I've heard, there may be like 1-2 design questions max on each exam. So you could pass that exam without knowing anything about design patents.
For more on this issue, see my formal comments on the #PatentBar: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/PTO-P-2022-0027/comments?filter=burstein
There's no general IP bar. There is something that is colloquially known as the "patent bar"--more formally, "registration to practice before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office" (USPTO).
Despite that language, though, this registration has nothing to do with trademarks. It's just about patents.
To join the patent bar, you have to have a scientific or technical background and pass an exam administered by the USPTO. The exam focuses on administrative rules: https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/patent-and-trademark-practitioners/becoming-patent-practitioner/registration
How it started ..... How it's going (Patent Bar Edition).
https://www.thefacultylounge.org/2013/10/design-patent-examiners.html
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USPTO/bulletins/37b1e60
Some news coverage on the new #DesignPatentBar
New Design Patent Bar Aims To Even The Playing Field - Law360
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said Wednesday that it had created a separate bar for design patent practitioners, meaning that those focused on ornamental designs don't have to meet the rigorous engineering and scientific requirements long used for utility patent practitioners.
It looks like all of the comments on the #USPTO's latest request for comments about the #PatentBar have been publicly posted.
There are nine total.
https://www.regulations.gov/document/PTO-C-2023-0010-0001/comment