The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is creating a separate bar for practitioners who practice solely in design patent matters in efforts to encourage “broader participation.”
Partner John Hemmer welcomes the development, noting that it would “increase the pool of qualified applicants, including former design patent examiners, who can be hired by law firms to work on design matters.”
He continued that the creation of the design patent bar should help the USPTO attract higher-quality design patent examiners who may now have a career path in industry after they leave the USPTO.
“I view the design bar as an opportunity for legal departments to bring in additional team members and potentially further strengthen the ties between patent, trademark and copyright practices,” John added.
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