USPTO Deferred Examination Roundtable Video Available.

A video of the USPTO roundtable discussion 0n February 12, 2009, relating to a potential “deferred examination” or “request for examination” procedure, has been made publicly available here.  

As stated at the USPTO website, the purpose of the roundtable was to obtain public input on the practice from diverse sources and differing view points.  The roundtable appeared to have accomplished that goal.  The participant list included representatives from the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), as well as members of academia and numerous IP attorneys. The roundtable was moderated by John Whealan, Associate Dean for Intellectual Property Law Studies, The George Washington University Law School.

Written comments on the proposal are being solicited by the USPTO and are due by February 26, 2009.  Comments may be sent by electronic mail message over the Internet addressed to AC6comments@uspto.gov.  Comments may also be submitted by mail, marked to the attention of Robert W. Bahr and addressed to:

Mail Stop Comments— Patents
Commissioner for Patents
P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313–1450