International Law

USPTO-IP Australia Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program.
The USPTO and the Australian Patent Office (IP Australia) have agreed to a trial program allowing applicants to fast-track patent applications.  Under the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programs, an applicant receiving a ruling from either Patent Office that at least one claim in an application is patentable may request that the other Patent Office fast track the examination of [...

Fast-Track Canadian Patents
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office has announced its participation in the  Canada-U.S. Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot project.  This experimental program, which has been in the works for some time, is designed to help fast-track patent examination in both Canada and the U...

Recent CRS Reports: "Fast Track" Parliamentary Procedures of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, China and the Global Financial Crisis, Federal Loans to the Auto Industry
November 14, 2008 - "Fast Track" Parliamentary Procedures of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act November 13, 2008 - China and...

Some Recent Decisions of Note on Fast Track Disparity and Unconstitutionality of Gun Possession Laws
Fast Track Disparity As explained by Judge Sweet in United States v. Paulino-Melende, 08 cr 176 (RWS), 2008 WL 4553148 (S.D.N.Y. October 8, 2008), fast-track disparity is created by the existence in some districts but not others of a ?fast....

China Approaching 1M Domestic Patent Filings Per Year
The State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO) has published some year-end statistics, and the numbers are striking - based on an annualized projection of Chinese patent filings (SIPO only gives 11 months in the report), over 780,000 applications were filed in the year, of which 213,000 are utility model applications and 290,000 are design patent applications...

Patent Prosecution Highway Programs Streamline Global Patent Process
This week the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced its sixth “patent prosecution highway” (PPH) program to fast-track global patent examination procedures when the patent office of any participating country has deemed a patent application to be allowable...

Green Cards
Ways to get a green card

EB-1 and EB-2 Visa Status
Obtaining a Green Card Without Going Through the Labor Certification Process

Marriage-based Green Cards
How alien spouses can become US citizens

China Green Agriculture, Inc. 401(k) / ERISA Stock Fraud
China Green Agriculture, Inc. 401(k) / ERISA Stock Fraud

Slim-Fast Recalled in US
Slim-Fast recalled in US

Zantac Patent
GlaxoSmithKline and Cypress Pharmaceutical settle patent infringement dispute.

Sears, Roebuck & Co.
alleging the company’s web site used spyware to track customers Internet use.

Federal Government
Florida residents sue claiming extraordinary delays in judging citizenship applications.

Soliris Patent
Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. agrees to pay the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation a $10 million patent infringement settlement.