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USPTO News: Competency of ISAs -- Potential Delays for Applications filed with the RO/US

By Donald Zuhn, Kevin Noonan, Chris Singer, Sherri Oslick, and Jason Derry

By Christopher P. Singer -- In a pre-OG Notice dated March 13, 2009, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office addressed some issues relating to the competency of certain foreign patent offices to act as an International Searching Authority (ISA) under the PCT. According to the Notice, the USPTO has found that a number of international applications filed with the United States Receiving Office (RO/US) have elected an ISA which is not competent to search and examine the entirety of the claimed subject matter. An improper election of an ISA can delay issuance of the International Search Report and Written Opinion...

Full post as published by Patent Docs on March 16, 2009 (boomark / email).