UAE Revises Trademark Service Fee Structure
The UAE Cabinet issued Resolution No. 1. No. (102) of 2025 Amending Some Provisions of Cabinet Resolution No. (20) of 2020 Regarding the Fees for the Services of the Ministry of Economy and Tourism. Here is a list of the proposed trademark fee changes.
Qatar Trademark Office Update
The Qatar Trademark Office has announced that as of September 15, 2025, all trademark applications must comply with the eleventh edition of the Nice Classification when identifying goods and services. This directive was issued under the GCC Law No. 7 of 2014 on Trademark Protection. The use of category titles or blanket claims covering all goods and services within the class will not be accepted.
Update on Examiner Interview Procedures at the USPTO
Through a change in Examiners' Performance Appraisal Plan and with immediate effect, the USPTO has caused in impact on the availability of Examiner Interviews to applicants. While not publicly disseminated, notification of the change is being conveyed by Examiners during the scheduling of interviews by way of a notification such as this: "[P]lease be advised that Interview Practice at the USPTO has changed effective October 1, 2025. Specifically, time authorized for interviews is limited to 1 interview per new application/RCE. Additional time for interviews may be granted, but such additional time now requires SPE approval."
Pilot Programme Between CNIPA and EPO Extended Until 2031
The pilot programme between the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the European Patent Office (EPO) allowing Chinese applicants to designate the EPO as their International Searching Authority (ISA) is extended until 2031. Under this pilot programme, Applicants based in P.R China can select the EPO as ISA when filing a PCT application in English.
Federal Circuit Issues Simple Ruling on Patent Eligibility That Appears to Contradict Previous Decisions
Patent eligibility, as defined by 35 U.S.C. § 101, includes new and useful processes, machines, manufactures, and compositions of matter. Various Supreme Court decisions have sought to define the scope of this statute, most notably in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int'l, which provided the current two-step framework for determining patent eligibility. The first step involves determining if the claimed subject matter is directed towards a judicial exception, such as an abstract idea, and the second step involves determining if the claims recite significantly more than the judicial exception. The Alice framework has been used in many court cases over the past decade, including a controversial decision issued in August of this year by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC).
How to Handle "Close Calls" on § 101: USPTO Provides Reminders for Patent Examiners on Evaluating Subject Matter Eligibility
On August 4, 2025, the Deputy Commissioner of Patents, Charles Kim, sent a memorandum (hereinafter "August 4 Memo") to the examining corps regarding the USPTO's subject matter eligibility guidance. The August 4 Memo includes several important reminders pertaining to examining software-related inventions as articulated in the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) and other USPTO guidance. In particular, the August 4 Memo provides guidance on the following topics that arise when examiners assess Step 2A of the USPTO's subject matter eligibility analysis: (a) reliance on the mental process grouping of abstract ideas; (b) distinguishing claims that "recite" a judicial exception from claims that merely "involve" a judicial exception; (c) analysis of the claim as a whole; and (d) consideration of whether a claim is directed to an improvement in the functioning of a computer or "any other technology or technical field," or whether a computer is merely being used as a tool to perform the recited abstract idea (i.e., "apply it"). In addition, the August 4 Memo includes a discussion of when a subject matter eligibility rejection should be made.
Patent Rights Retained For "First-To-File" Inventor in First Review of AIA Derivation Proceeding
On August 26, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit) affirmed a ruling made by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board ("Board") against a first-inventor, second-filer claim in its first review of a derivation proceeding.
Bahrain and JPO Sign MoU to Fast-Track Patents
On September 19, 2025, the Bahrain Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement a Patent Prosecution Highway Program (PPH).
Generalist Patent Engineer with focus on chemistry/materials science
AIS Designs Co. Prevails in Home Design Copyright Litigation
Houston-based building designer AIS Designs Co. won a federal copyright dispute after alleging that a competitor copied its designs in homes built in a suburban residential development north of Houston, the company and the Osha Bergman Watanabe & Burton LLP law firm said today.
