Be Aware of the Risks of Overreliance: A Brief Review of Ethics Violations Issued by the USPTO in 2026
The ethical standards set forth in the USPTO Rules of Professional Conduct, 37 C.F.R. ยง 11.101 bind all attorneys and registered patent agents who practice before the USPTO (practitioners). The ethical standards include fundamental ethical concepts such as: lying to and stealing from your clients or the USPTO is wrong, practitioners should not accept work that they cannot do competently, and conflicts of interest should be avoided. However, the way in which these rules are applied by the USPTO through the Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) can provide specific guidelines and salient advice to even the most diligent of practitioners.
The Federal Circuit Revisits the Scope of Analogous Art
On August 14, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a ruling made by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board that claims in U.S. Patent No. 11,470,243 were unpatentable over a combination of prior art references that included a non-patent literature reference authored by Ying-li Tian entitled "Evaluation of Face Resolution for Expression Analysis" ("Tian")
Trademark Search Procedures in Saudi Arabia
Under the new approach, SAIP encourages local trademark agents to conduct searches independently through the SAIP online portal.
SAIP Enhances Four IP Laws
The Saudi Cabinet has enhanced four IP laws covering patents and utility models, new plant varieties, integrated circuit layout designs, and industrial designs.
Egypt Introduces Virtual Hearings for IP Appeals
The Egyptian Intellectual Property Authority (EGIPA) is progressively introducing virtual hearings for trademark and industrial design appeals, as part of the continued modernization of Egypt's intellectual property framework.
Qatar Introduces Official Proprietor Search for Patents
The Qatar Patent Office has introduced an official proprietor search service, enabling businesses and IP practitioners to identify patent applications filed in Qatar under a specific applicant or proprietor name.
OBWB @ LES 2026 Annual Conference
OBWB was a silver sponsor for the 2026 LES Annual Conference hosted in Hangzhou, China. Representatives from four of OBWB's global offices attended this event.
Lebanon Extends Key Intellectual Property Deadlines
The Lebanese Trademark Office has suspended certain intellectual property deadlines falling between March 1, 2026, and July 31, 2026, pursuant to Law No. 46, the "Law Suspending Deadlines."
Book Launch at AIPPI 2026
Congratulations to the authors of "Reputed Trade Marks and Their Protection" on the successful launch of this authoritative guide to brand protection, registration, and enforcement.
Twenty-Four Hours to Withdraw: The UAE's New Anti-Commercial Fraud Regulation and What It Means for Brand Owners
Since August 13, 2026, a supplier in the UAE that receives an official notice about counterfeit goods has twenty-four hours to pull them from the market. The rule comes from Cabinet Resolution No. (107) of 2026, issued on July 13, 2026, as the Executive Regulation of Federal Decree-Law No. (42) of 2023 on Anti-Commercial Fraud. The Decree-Law has been in force since November 29, 2023, but it left the procedures and time limits for recalling goods to an executive regulation that arrived more than two and a half years later.
