Innovation & intellectual property · 18/10/2016

USPTO Proposes Rule on Privileged Communications Between Patent Clients and Practitioners

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) proposes a new rule recognizing privileged communications between patent clients and practitioners at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, covering inter partes review, post-grant review, and other proceedings. This rule aims to clarify the protection afforded to such communications, which are currently not addressed in the USPTO rules.