A weekly look at Wyoming business questions from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (WSBDC), part of WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.
Debbie Gorski, Wyoming Entrepreneur social media community manager
“Can you explain the changes in place for filing patents?” Ryan, Cheyenne.
Changes concerning the patent classification system are coming. Beginning Jan. 1, 2013, a new classification system will be in place. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office have been collaborating since 2010 to put together a classification system to incorporate the best practices of both systems. This joint collaboration resulted in the formation of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). Patent searches will be easier and more efficient using a global classification system.
I want to simply explain the changes you will be confronted with when you file a patent. I read the news release from the USPTO and, frankly, with all of the acronyms (an alphabet soup), it just isn't an easy read. But if you want read it yourself, follow this link: http://www.cooperativepatentclassification.org/index.html.
The USPTO will host a CPC External User Day Friday, Dec. 14, to educate and inform external stakeholders about the CPC’s current development and future implementation plans. To register and read more about this webinar, click this link: http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/cpc_external_user_day.jsp.
Your local USPTO contact is Karen Kitchens, intellectual property/documents librarian, Wyoming State Library, karen.kitchens@wyo.gov. If you have questions or suggestions, contact Kitchens by telephone at (307) 777-7281, or by email to karen.kitchens@wyo.gov. Or contact the national Patent and Trademark Resource Center Office by telephone at 800-435-7735 option 2, or by email to ptrcoffice@uspto.gov.
The WSBDC is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Wyoming Business Council and the University of Wyoming. To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY, 82071-3922.
