Understanding seasonality around USPTO office actions can help drive decisions related to firm hiring, training, and process workflows. And our data shows that you are about to get very busy.

To find success, law firms need to live in a constant state of self-assessment. The world of patent prosecution is always changing, and IP attorneys need to re-evaluate ineffective and slow routines to stay competitive.

After a tumultuous 2020, many IP firms are refocusing their efforts on growth in 2021. Here, we share advice from patent leaders at Slater Matsil, Procopio, and Quarles & Brady.

As we near the end of a tumultuous year, IP managers and patent attorneys are more conscious than ever of their bottom line.

Prompted by the CARES Act, the USPTO announced extensions to the time allowed to file certain patent-related documents and to pay certain required fees. Legal teams can use patent analytics tools like Juristat to quickly identify which applications qualify.

Even during these uncertain times, the USPTO maintains that operations will continue without interruption. That means while you are busy adopting new remote work processes and ensuring your team is healthy, office actions are still being issued. 

Driven by market demand for efficiencies and cost savings, law firms and IP departments are looking to implement more legal technology into their workflow. But after all the work you put into choosing the right tool, how do you get attorneys and staff members to adopt?

Did you notice a spike in office actions in late September? We sure did.

While the calendar year may be winding down, your team is likely busier than ever preparing office action responses. In fact, we’re just on the other side of a major spike in office actions from the USPTO, coinciding with the end of their fiscal year on September 30.