MARYLAND PATENT LAW ASSOCIATION

2000-2001 Fiscal Year Events

Our guests from the Patent Office will discuss

1. The final rules for the patent term adjustment published Sept. 18, 2000 in the FR.
Click here to download the 30 page pdf file from the Federal Register titled "Changes to Implement Patent Term Adjustment Under Twenty-Year Patent Term; Final Rule."

2. The final rules for the 18 month publication published Sept. 20, 2000 in the FR.
Click here to download the 39 page pdf file from the Federal Register titled "Changes to Implement Eighteen-Month Publication of Patent Applications; Final Rule."

3.  Time permitting, they will cover the highlights of the regulation changes to implement patent business goals published Sept. 8, 2000 in the FR.
Click here to download the 81 page pdf file from the Federal Register titled "Changes to Implement the Patent Business Goals; Final Rule."

Slides Presented at Meeting

1. Click here for the Power Points Slides to used by the speakers. 162 slides in a file 1.9 megs.

2. Click here for an 8 page Excel Spreadsheet on a Rule Package Correlation in a 59k file. Microsoft has a free viewer if you do not have MS Excel. 

General Background

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is releasing its final 
rules packages to finish implementing the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999. 
The USPTO speakers will address the final rules packages on: (1) miscellaneous rule 
changes (Patent  Business Goals ) including rules 1.105, 1.121, and 1.27;
(2) pre-grant publication; and (3) patent term adjustments. Did you know that under 
Rule 105, examiners are authorized to give written interrogatories and require information? 
This could become extremely burdensome on patent practitioners and limiting of claim
scope due to the creation of otherwise avoidable estoppels. Now is your chance to learn
about the rules packages from the people writing them. The speakers indicated that 
questions related to any of this year's packages are encouraged during the pre-dinner hour, 
the presentation, or after the presentation. So please join us for an informative evening 
and lively audience questions and comments.

MPLA�s FALL DINNER MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2000

TRAGARA RESTAURANT
4935 Cordell Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland
(301)-951-4935
Complimentary Valet Parking or Public Parking (at coin-fed meters across the street)

By Subway: Take a red line train to the Bethesda metro station (at the intersections of Wisconsin Ave. (355), Old Georgetown Rd. (187) and East-West Hwy. (410)). Exit the north side of the station to Wisconsin Ave. (355), turn left (west) onto Old Georgetown Rd. (187) and walk about 5 blocks. Turn right onto Cordell Ave. The Tragara Restaurant is on the left-hand side of Cordell Ave.

RSVP TO:

Please reserve_____________places for the Maryland Patent Law Association Annual Fall Dinner Meeting to be held on Thursday, September 28, 2000 at Tragara Restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland at $30.00 per person (checks should be made payable to Maryland Patent Law Association or MPLA).

Please specify choice of entree for each reserved place by circling and filling in blanks, as follows : 

#_____CHICKEN; 

#_____PASTA; or 

#_____SALMON.

I also wish to pay my $15.00 membership dues for the 2000-2001 fiscal year (please circle one of the following): YES or NO.¹

TOTAL amount enclosed is $________.

MARYLAND PATENT LAW ASSOCIATION NEWS

As many of you already know, the Maryland Patent Law Association runs on a fiscal year from October to October (much like the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office). As of the Fall Meeting to be held on September 28, 2000, we will be beginning a new fiscal year and we are requesting that all members pay their annual membership dues. The Maryland Patent Law Association is a non-profit organization. We do not charge you more for your dinners than we are charged. However, we do have expenses for our meetings for which we ask that our members pay an annual membership fee of only $15.00.

ADDITIONALLY, we are looking into being able to provide a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit for each of our meetings. Those of you who belong to the Virginia Bar know that even limited membership now requires more CLE credit. We think paying $15.00 a year, plus the cost of dinners, is a substantially painless way of earning 3 to 4 CLE credits. So please pay today so that we may continue to bring you these interesting and informative meetings.

We THANK YOU in advance for your support.

The Maryland Patent Law Association is seeking volunteers from members who would like to get involved. Our current President, Gay Ann Spahn, will be serving out the second year of her two year term as President, and Sharon Crane is our new Vice President. We need a committed person who would like to be our new treasurer. Any one who is interested should call or e-mail either Gay Ann Spahn (Phone No.: 703/412-7037; e-mail address: gspahn@oblon.com ) or Sharon Crane (Phone No.: 202/861-6447; e-mail address: Sharon.Crane@piperrudnick.com ).

The Maryland Patent Law Association is always seeking to increase its membership. We would especially like to get more younger patent attorneys involved. We urge all members receiving this flyer to pass it on to other members of your firm or other patent attorneys, agents, examiners, or others who might be interested in joining the MPLA.

The MPLA has converted about one-fifth of its mailing list to e-mail which is helping us to save money on the cost of mailings. However, we still have a regular mail mailing list of about 400 members. We urge all you members who receive this mailing by regular mail to send us your e-mail address, if you have one, by e-mailing your e-mail address to either our President, Gay Ann Spahn (e-mail address: gspahn@oblon.com ) or our Vice President, Sharon Crane (e-mail address: Sharon.Crane@piperrudnick.com ). Help us provide all future MPLA correspondence by e-mail.