The USPTO has ordered a registered patent agent who allowed a patent application to go abandoned, failed to communicate with his client, and failed to cooperate with the Office of Enrollment and Discipline’s ethics investigation to serve a six-month license suspension and one-year probation. This case presents a cautionary tale for IP practitioners and teaches […]
Bad news sells. As the author Douglas Adams observed, “Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.” Take IP litigation, for example. The mainstream IP media regularly reports on both allegations and court decisions regarding issues relating to attorney conduct–or alleged misconduct.
Litigators Beware: Bad News Can Trigger USPTO Ethics Investigation Read More »
The three-year ethics saga between Matthew Swyers, owner of The Trademark Company, and the USPTO’s Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED), ended with a whisper, with Mr. Swyers agreeing to resign from practicing before the USPTO. By entering into what is called an “exclusion on consent” agreement, Mr. Swyers voluntarily gives up the ability to provide U.S. trademark-related legal services for a minimum of five (5) years.
Epic Ethics Legal Battle By Trademark Company Owner Ends Quietly With Resignation Read More »
To all of you who have been dying to know what happened in the world of ethics and discipline at the USPTO in the past year, I am pleased to say your wait is finally over. I have written, “2016 USPTO Disciplinary Decisions — The Year in Review.” Why was The 2016 Year in Review
2016 USPTO Disciplinary Decisions – The Year In Review Read More »
A federal district judge has dismissed a trademark lawyer’s complaint alleging that the USPTO’s Office of Enrollment and Discipline’s (“OED’s) investigation of him violated his rights under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. The Court held that dismissal of his federal complaint was appropriate because the matters raised in the complaint are
TM Lawyer’s Attack on Constitutionality of OED Investigation Dismissed–For Now Read More »
An IP attorney has filed a lawsuit against the United States Patent and Trademark Office seeking to prohibit the Agency’s Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) from continuing to investigate him for alleged ethics violations because the process employed in conducting the ethics investigation is abusive and violates due process. The complaint, which was filed
IP Attorney Challenging Constitutionality Of USPTO OED’s “Abusive” Ethics Investigation Read More »
