U.S. patents are currently subject to maintenance fees paid to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 years from the date of grant to keep the patent live. The maintenance ...

“Since it is the practice of some large companies to abandon applications or issued patents – sometimes in large numbers – before the first maintenance fee comes due, under the current fee schedule, ...

It has been four years since amendments to the Patent Act and Patent Rules were made, bringing the Patent Law Treaty (PLT) into force in Canada. The most consequential changes have proven to be the ...

“The USPTO should revise its systems to refuse maintenance fee payments for expired patents or give a warning if one attempts to pay a maintenance fee on an expired patent.” Editor’s note: This ...

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