3/30. The Executive Office of the President's (EOP) Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (OIPEC) released a report [130 pages in PDF] titled "2011 U S Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Annual Report on Intellectual Property Enforcement".

Summary of Report. This report states that it describes the "coordinated efforts that the U S Government is undertaking to address the challenges of enforcing intellectual property of U S rightholders abroad, securing supply chains, pursuing sources of counterfeit and pirated goods, and meeting the challenges posed by emerging criminal trends such as the online sales of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, economic espionage, and targeted theft of trade secrets".

This report states that the OIPEC "will work to ensure that law enforcement efforts continue to increase".

In states that in 2012 the OIPEC "will encourage the expansion of voluntary best practices for online advertising to cut off revenue to websites distributing counterfeit and pirated goods".

In addition, the OIPEC "will continue to assess Federal laws and work with Congress to make certain that Federal agencies have the necessary enforcement tools they need to effectively combat intellectual property theft and we are focused on increasing international cooperation and enhancing capacity building through training, deployment of U S personnel overseas and diplomatic engagement with foreign nations".

This report states that the federal government "is leading by example by taking pro-active measures to ensure that the Federal government itself does not purchase and use counterfeit goods".

It states that the OIPEC has encouraged "the private sector (including ISPs, credit card companies, and online advertisers) to reach cooperative voluntary agreements to reduce infringement". (Parentheses in original.)

It also states that the OIPEC "continues to encourage improved transparency in intellectual property policy making".

History of OIPEC. The OIPEC is new. It was created in the 110th Congress by Section 301 of S 3325 [LOC | WW], the "Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property (PRO-IP) Act of 2008". See, story titled "Congress Passes IPR Enforcement Bill" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,836, October 1, 2008.

President Obama appointed Victoria Espinel (at left), the first and current IPEC, on September 25, 2009. See, story titled "Obama Names Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,990, September 27, 2009. The Senate confirmed her in December of 2009.

The OIPEC issued a document [65 pages in PDF] titled "Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement" on June 22, 2010. See, story titled "IPEC Releases Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,099, June 22, 2010.

The OIPEC issued a document [20 pages in PDF] titled "Administration's White Paper on Intellectual Property Enforcement Legislative Recommendations" on March 15, 2011. See also, story titled "Espinel Offers 20 IP Legislative Recommendations" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,212, March 30, 2011.

IP Legislation. The March 2011 OIPEC paper contained 20 legislative recommendations. However, little progress has been made on these recommendations.

The just released report states that two have been implemented. Actually, one of these two has only been partially implemented.

The legislative success came in Section 818 of HR 1540 [LOC | WW], the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012" or NDAA. This act is Public Law No. 112-81. It deals with detection and avoidance of counterfeit electronic parts by the Department of Defense (DOD).

First, it amends 18 U.S.C. § 2320 regarding "Trafficking in Counterfeit Goods or Services" to increase penalties for trafficking counterfeit goods to the military. This was one of the OIPEC's 20 recommendations.

Section 818 also provides that if Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) "suspects a product of being imported in violation of section 42 of the Lanham Act, and subject to any applicable bonding requirements, the Secretary of the Treasury may share information appearing on, and unredacted samples of, products and their packaging and labels, or photographs of such products, packaging, and labels, with the rightholders of the trademarks suspected of being copied or simulated for purposes of determining whether the products are prohibited from importation pursuant to such section." This partially implements another of the OIPEC's 20 recommendations.

The OIPEC recommendation (at pages 10-11) pertained to "rightholders", including under the Copyright Act and Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). This provision in Section 818 of the NDAA is limited to trademark rights holders, and contains a sunset provision.

There are several pending bills that would allow CBP to share information with rights holders under trademark, copyright and anticircumvention law. See, story titled "Rep. Poe and Rep. Chabot Introduce Bill to Allow Customs to Share Information with Rights Holders" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,354, March 23, 2012.

PIPA/SOPA. Espinel undermined efforts by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and others to pass legislation targeting web sites dedicated infringing activity. On January 14, 2012, the EOP released a statement, attributed to Espinel and others, that criticized the DNS blocking provisions of the SOPA and PROTECT IP Act.

See, story titled "Obama Administration Officials Criticize DNS Filtering Provisions of SOPA and PROTECT IP Act" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,327, January 14, 2012.

Sen. Leahy's bill is S 968 [LOC | WW], the "Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011", "PROTECT IP Act", or "PIPA". The related bill in the House is HR 3261 [LOC | WW], the "Stop Online Piracy Act" or "SOPA".

The just released report states that "the Administration will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk (including authority to tamper with the DNS system), or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet". (Parentheses in original.)

However, it adds that "new legislative and non-legislative tools are needed to address offshore infringement" and "The Administration is interested in working with Congress". (See, page 34.)

Reaction. John Bergmayer of the Public Knowledge (PK) praised the just released report for confirming "the Administration's opposition to legislation".

Bergmayer also stated in the PK release that this report "shows that the content industries have a vast array of tools already at their disposal to enforce their rights, while the listing of enforcement cases also clearly shows the industries and the government have a world-wide reach when action is needed in any country in the world."

He added that "We remain extremely wary, however, of the reliance the report places on information regarding copyright industries as a source of information regarding infringement. Particularly in cases involving fair use, rights holders have not shown themselves to be reliable judges of infringement."

Sandra Aistars, head of the Copyright Alliance, stated in a release that this report "details many activities that are to be commended. But there is still work to be done. Many hardworking authors, songwriters, photographers and others have lost their ability to make a living due to digital theft. When stolen content is made available for free, those creators are unable to benefit economically from what they¹ve created. And the nation loses related jobs and taxes. It's essential our country properly value the contribution these innovators provide and do what we can to protect them."

4/2. The Center for Copyright Information (CCI) announced the appointment of Jill Lesser as its Executive Director. See, CCI release.

The CCI also announced members of its Advisory Board: Jerry Berman (Center for Democracy and Technology), Marsali Hancock (iKeepSafe.org), Jules Polenetsky (Future of Privacy Forum), and Gigi Sohn (Public Knowledge).

The CCI is governed by a six member Executive Committee, comprised of three representatives each from the content and BIAS industries: Thomas Dailey (Verizon Communications), Steven Marks (Recording Industry Association of America), Marianne Grant (Motion Picture Association of America), Alan Lewine (Comcast), Daniel Mandil (Viacom), and Brent Olson (AT&T).

Broadband internet access service (BIAS) providers, major movie and record industry companies, and their trade groups announced an agreement [36 pages in PDF] titled "Memorandum of Understanding" in July of 2011 that establishes a Copyright Alert System (CAS).

This is a detailed set of procedures for notifying alleged online peer to peer infringers of their infringing activity, and affording alleged infringers of an opportunity for a non-judicial review. The agreement references, but does not require, suspension or termination of internet access. This agreement also provides for the creation of the CCI.

See also, story titled "BIAS Providers and Content Industries Announce Copyright Alert System" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 2,254, July 8, 2012.

The CCI also announced that it has retained the American Arbitration Association (AAA) to implement the independent review process.

Gigi Sohn, a member of the CCI Advisory Board, stated in a release that "I still have concerns about some of the points in the agreement to establish the CAS. One of the most prominent is the threat that consumers could have their access to the Internet cut off. I will ask at the appropriate time for the ISPs to promise not to interpret the agreement’s ‘temporary restriction’ provision as allowing for suspension of user Internet accounts."

3/9. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), and other Senators sent a letter to Ron Kirk, the U.S. Trade Representative, urging the inclusion of trade secrets protection in any Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement (FTA).

They wrote that the TPP FTA "must include provisions designed to protect the assets which underpin the 21st Century knowledge economy. In particular, the TPP agreement must ensure that trade secrets are afforded strong protection".

They elaborated that trade secrets "are among the most valuable assets for many companies across a wide variety of sectors.  They are often particularly useful to start-ups and SMEs since, unlike patents, they can be protected without registration or other formalities. Unfortunately, while trade secrets are vitally important, they are also fragile commodities -- once disclosed, they cannot be restored and they become devoid of value to their owner."

They added that "Foreign governments have become adept at developing policies which effectively undermine the value of trade secret protection in order to advance national policy goals -- often at the expense of U.S. industry.  Governments (particularly those in important emerging markets) have increasingly conditioned investments on the disclosure of trade secrets, enacted testing or certification regimes which require companies to disclose confidential information to participate in domestic markets, and led efforts to use compulsory licensing mechanisms to force the disclosure of critical trade secrets which would provide their domestic champions an unfair competitive advantage." (Parentheses in original.)

The OUSTR web page titled "Trans-Pacific Partnership" states that the nations involved in TPP negotiations are the US, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Brunei, Viet Nam, Chile and Peru.

The People's Republic of China (PRC) is not one of the participants. However, the Senators' concerns about trade secrets are directed in significant part at the PRC.

The other signers of the letter are Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-WI), Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC).

4/2. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (OUSTR) released a report [420 pages in PDF] titled "2012 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers".

3/29. The Fair Labor Association (FLA) released a report on March 29, 2012, regarding conditions at three Foxconn plants located in the People's Republic of China (PRC) that manufacture electronic devices for Apple, including iPad, iPhones, iPods, and computers. The report addresses compensation, hours worked, working conditions, safety, communications and relations between Foxconn and its workers, worker satisfaction, and other issues. See, FLA web page with hyperlinks to report and appendices, and body of the report [13 pages in PDF]

3/27. The House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) amended and approved HR 3605 [LOC | WW], the "Global Online Freedom Act of 2011".

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Privacy Policy
Notices & Disclaimers
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8:00 AM - 5:30 PM. Day two of a two day event titled "The Privacy Law Salon -- Dialogue with Policymakers". Senior federal government officials involved in privacy related regulation and policy making will meet with, and answer questions from, interested persons, for $1,295 per person. See, notice. Location: National Press Club, 13th Floor, 529 14th St., NW.
 • 8:00 AM. Breakfast.
 • 9:00 AM. There will be a panel titled "The Future of U.S. Privacy Law: The View from the Regulators". The speakers will be Lawrence Strickling (head of the NTIA), David Vladeck (Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection), Julie Brill (FTC Commissioners), and Daniel Weitzner (Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Internet Policy in the EOP's Office of Science and Technology Policy).
 • 10:30 AM. There will be two concurrent panels, both titled "The Future of U.S. Privacy Laws". The speakers on one panel will be Strickling, Vladeck, Chris Olsen (FTC), Ivan Fong (DHS), Celeste Mattina (NLRB), Maya Bernstein (DHHS), Chris Wolf (Hogan Lovells), and Daniel Solove (GWU law school). The speakers on the other panel will be Weitzner, Brill, Peter Miller (FTC), Barry Kearney (NLRB), Chris Hoofnagle (UC Berkeley law school), and Paul Schwartz (UC Berkeley law school).
 • 12:00 NOON. Lunch.
 • 1:00 PM. There will be a panel titled "Hot Topics in Regulation and Policymaking". The speakers will be Olsen, Maya Bernstein, Mattina, William Kovacic (GWU law school), and John Morris (NTIA).
 • 2:30 PM. There will two concurrent panels. One is titled "Regulation Across Borders: Regulating Privacy in a Global Economy". The speakers will be Miller, Kovacic, Jodie Bernstein (Kelley Drye), Yael Weinman (FTC), Wolf, and Schwartz. The other panel is titled "The Future of Enforcement". The speakers will be Olsen, Mattina, Maya Bernstein, Morris, Solove, and Hoofnagle.
 • 4:15 PM. There will be two concurrent panels. One is titled "Regulation Across Borders: Regulating Privacy in a Global Economy". The speakers will be Maya Bernstein, Olsen, Jodie Bernstein, Morris, Wolf, and Schwartz. The other panel is titled "The Future of Enforcement". The speakers will be Miller, Kovacic, Mattina, Weinman, Solove, and Hoofnagle.

Day one of a three day conference and exhibition titled "Federal Office System Exposition" (FOSE). There will be numerous panels and workshops on April 3 and 4 pertaining to mobile government, cyber security, and cloud computing and virtualization. See, schedule. Location: Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW.

10:00 AM. The U.S. Court of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Personalized Media Communications v. Scientific Atlanta, App. Ct. No. 2011-1466. Panel D+. Location: Courtroom 402.

1:00 - 2:00 PM. The law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski will host a webcast panel discussion titled "The Latest on the ADA: A Review of the Final Regulations on Their One-Year Anniversary and Recent Noteworthy Court Decisions". The speakers will be Laurie Vasichek (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), Jennifer Mathis (Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law), Jeff Wray (F&J) and Barbara D'Aquila (F&J). CLE credits. See, notice and registration page.

3:00 - 5:00 PM. The DC Bar Association will host an event titled "International Trade Law & Policy Debate". The topics to be covered include US PRC relations. The speakers will be Gary Horlick (solo practice) and Paul Rosenthal (Kelley Drye & Warren). The price to attend ranges from $5 to $15. No CLE credits. See, notice. For more information, call 202-626-3463. The DC Bar has a history of barring reporters from its events. Location: U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E St., SW.

Day two of a three day conference and exhibition titled "Federal Office System Exposition" (FOSE). There will be numerous panels and workshops on April 3 and 4 pertaining to mobile government, cyber security, and cloud computing and virtualization. See, schedule. Location: Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW.

9:00 AM - 4:30 PM. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's (OUSTR) Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Small and Minority Business (ITAC-11) will hold a partially closed meeting. The meeting will be open to the public from 9:00 - 10:30 AM. The committee will discuss the Small Business Administration (SBA) State Trade and Export Promotion Grants Process. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 47, Friday, March 9, 2012, at Page 14459. Location: Room 1412, Herbert C. Humphrey Building, 1401 Constitution Ave., NW.

10:00 AM. The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) will host an on site and teleconferenced event for reporters titled "Analysis of Cybersecurity Legislation". The speakers will include Leslie Harris and Greg Nojiem. The call in number is 877-643-6951; the participant code is 95 66 82 45#. A light breakfast will be served. Location: CDT, Suite 1100, 1634 I St., NW.

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. The Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's (ONCHIT) HIT Policy Committee will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 52, Friday, March 16, 2012, at Pages 15760-15761. Location: Washington Marriott, 1221 22nd St., NW.

12:00 NOON - 1:00 PM. Proskauer and Lazard will host a webcast seminar titled "Considering an IPO for your Company -- A Webinar for Issuers and Sponsors and Their Portfolio Companies". The speakers will be Graham Powis (Managing Director, Head of U.S. Equity Capital Markets, Lazard), Julie Allen (Proskauer), and Stuart Bressman (Proskauer). See also, web page titled "Proskauer's Online Events".

12:30 - 2:00 PM. The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) will host a webcast presentation titled "ITC Proceedings and Beyond". The speakers will be James Altman (Foster Murphy Altman & Nickel) and Bert Reiser (Latham & Watkins). CLE credits. CD, MP4 download, archived webcast, and other formats available. Prices vary. See, registration page.

Deadline to submit comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding the consent agreement in its administrative proceeding titled "In the Matter of Western Digital Corporation", regarding Western Digital's proposed acquisition of Viviti Technologies Ltd., formerly known as Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Ltd. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 48, Monday, March 12, 2012, at Pages 14523-14525. See also, Complaint, Decision and Order, and FTC web page with hyperlinks to other documents. This proceeding is FTC Docket No. C-4350.

Day three of a three day conference and exhibition titled "Federal Office System Exposition" (FOSE). There will be numerous panels and workshops on April 3 and 4 pertaining to mobile government, cyber security, and cloud computing and virtualization. See, schedule. Location: Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW.

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM. Day one of a two day meeting of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Mathematical and Physical Sciences. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 53, Monday, March 19, 2012, at Page 16076, and forthcoming correction notice. Location: NSF, Room 1235, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA.

9:00 AM - 5:15 PM. Day one of a two day meeting of the Department of Commerce's (DOC) Science Advisory Board (SAB). See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 53, Monday, March 19, 2012, at Pages 15996-15997. Location: Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, NW.

9:00 AM - 6:00 PM. Day one of a two day meeting to the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, the scope of which includes computer science. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 57, Friday, March 23, 2012, at Page 17102. Location: Room 1235, NSF, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA.

10:00 AM. The U.S. Court of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Picture Patents v. Aeropostale, App. Ct. No. 2011-1558. Panel J. Location: Courtroom 203.

12:00 NOON - 1:30 PM. The National Economics Club (NEC) will host a lunch. Andrew Sherman (Jones Day) will give a speech titled "Harvesting Intangible Assets: Making the Most of Intellectual Property Management". Open to the public. Prices vary. Location: National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Suite 200, 1201 F St., NW.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGAB) regarding whether certain docketed FCC proceedings should be terminated as dormant. See, February 15, 2012, Public Notice (DA 12-220 in CG Docket No. 12-39), and notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 44, Tuesday, March 6, 2012, at Pages 13322-13323.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) regarding jurisdictional separations, the process by which incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) apportion regulated costs between the intrastate and interstate jurisdictions. The FCC once again proposes to extend the current freeze, through June 30, 2014. This item is FCC 12-27 in CC Docket No. 80-286. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 56, Thursday, March 22, 2012, at Pages 16900-16902.

Good Friday.

Passover begins at sundown.

8:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Day two of a two day meeting of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Mathematical and Physical Sciences. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 53, Monday, March 19, 2012, at Page 16076, and forthcoming correction notice. Location: NSF, Room 1235, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA.

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Day two of a two day meeting to the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, the scope of which includes computer science. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 57, Friday, March 23, 2012, at Page 17102. Location: Room 1235, NSF, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA.

9:15 AM - 2:30 PM. Day two of a two day meeting of the Department of Commerce's (DOC) Science Advisory Board (SAB). See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 53, Monday, March 19, 2012, at Pages 15996-15997. Location: Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, NW.

10:00 AM. The U.S. Court of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Wi-Lan v. LG Electronics, App. Ct. No. 2011-1626. Panel K. Location: Courtroom 201.

10:00 AM. The U.S. Court of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Apple v. Samsung, App. Ct. No. 2011-1105. Panel L. Location: Courtroom 402.

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host an event titled "A Conversation with Six Former USTRs: Taking Stock and Assessing Priorities for the 2012 Trade Agenda". The speakers will be Susan Schwab, Charlene Barshefsky, Michael Kantor, Carla Hills, Clayton Yeutter, and William Brock. See, notice. Location: CSIS, 1800 K St.,  NW.

5:00 PM. Deadline to submit comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (OUSTR) regarding (1) potential revocation of competitive need limitations (CNL) waivers, (2) possible de minimis CNL waivers, and (3) possible redesignations of articles currently not eligible for GSP benefits because they previously exceeded the CNL thresholds. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 52, Friday, March 16, 2012, at Pages 15839-15841.

Deadline to submit comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Computer Security Division (CSD) regarding its draft SP 800-53 Rev. 4 [375 pages in PDF], titled "Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations".

Easter.

Deadline to submit comments to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in response to its request for comments regarding its practice guide for the proposed trial rules to advise the public on the general framework of the proposed regulations, including the structure and times for taking action in each of the new proceedings. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 27, Thursday, February 9, 2012, at Pages 6868-6879.

Deadline to submit comments to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in response to its notice of proposed rulemaking regarding rules of practice to implement the provisions of the Leahy Smith America Invents Act that provide for trials before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 27, Thursday, February 9, 2012, at Pages 6879-6914.

8:30 AM - 5:00 PM. The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), and American Bar Association (ABA) will host an event titled "USPTO Design Day". Free. See, notice and registration page. Location: Madison Auditorium, USPTO, 600 Dulaney St., Alexandria, VA.

6:00 - 7:30 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Commendations and Acknowledgements and Young Lawyers Committees will host an event titled "Mentoring Panel and Networking Reception: Reflections on a Career in Communications Law". Location: Drinker Biddle & Reath, 2nd floor, 1500 K St., NW.

Deadline to submit comments to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in response to its notice of proposed rulemaking regarding creation, pursuant to the Leahy Smith America Invents Act, of a new derivation proceeding to be conducted before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 28, Friday, February 10, 2012, at Pages 7028-7041.

Deadline to submit comments to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in response to its notice of proposed rulemaking regarding creation, pursuant to the Leahy Smith America Invents Act, of a new inter partes review proceeding to be conducted before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 28, Friday, February 10, 2012, at Pages 7041-7060.

Deadline to submit comments to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in response to its notice of proposed rulemaking regarding creation, pursuant to the Leahy Smith America Invents Act, of a new post grant review proceeding to be conducted before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 28, Friday, February 10, 2012, at Pages 7060-7080.

Deadline to submit comments to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in response to its notice of proposed rulemaking regarding creation, pursuant to the Leahy Smith America Invents Act, of a new transitional post grant review proceeding for covered business method patents to be conducted before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 28, Friday, February 10, 2012, at Pages 7080-7095.

Deadline to submit comments to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in response to its notice of proposed rulemaking regarding regulations for determining whether a patent is for a technological invention in a transitional post grant review proceeding for covered business method patents. See, notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 28, Friday, February 10, 2012, at Pages 7095-7108.