In a recent press release, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that, starting on April 18, 2023, the Office would begin issuing electronic patent grants (eGrants) to patent recipients. This process delivers the official copy of patent grants in an electronic format, instead of the previous paper version. The Office will still provide a bound paper version as a ceremonial copy throughout a limited transition period for free, and then for a nominal fee thereafter. In this article, MoFo’s Patent team explores the important implications of this change, particularly how it impacts the timing of filing continuing applications.
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