Innovation & intellectual property · 30/05/2003

Elimination of Continued Prosecution Application Practice as to Utility and Plant Patent Applications

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is eliminating the practice of continued prosecution application (CPA) for utility and plant patent applications, as it is deemed redundant with the continued examination practice (RCE) allowed under the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999. This change will allow applicants to continue examination of their applications through a continuing application, while CPA practice will remain in place for design applications.