What is a fee address for maintenance fee purposes?
A fee address is a designated address for receiving communications related to maintenance fee payments for patents. According to MPEP 2540, “Generally, notices, receipts, and other communications relating to the payment of a maintenance fee will be directed to the correspondence address used during the prosecution of the application, unless a ‘fee address’ for the…
Read MoreIs the USPTO required to notify patentees about maintenance fee payments?
No, the USPTO is not legally required to notify patentees about maintenance fee payments. According to MPEP 2540: “Under the statutes and rules, the Office has no duty to notify patentee of the requirement to pay maintenance fees or to notify patentee when the maintenance fee is due. It is solely the responsibility of the…
Read MoreDoes assigning a patent application or patent change the fee address?
No, assigning a patent application or patent does not automatically change the fee address. According to MPEP 2540, which cites 37 CFR 1.363(b): “An assignment of a patent application or patent does not result in a change of the ‘correspondence address’ or ‘fee address’ for maintenance fee purposes.” This means that if you want to…
Read MoreHow can I designate a fee address for maintenance fee purposes?
To designate a fee address for maintenance fee purposes, you can use the following methods: At the time of issue fee payment, submit a “Fee Address” Indication Form (PTO/SB/47) as an attachment to the Issue Fee Transmittal (PTOL-85B). After issue fee payment, submit a “Fee Address” Indication Form (PTO/SB/47), and if necessary, a Request for…
Read MoreCan a fee address be directed to multiple addresses?
No, a fee address cannot be directed to multiple addresses. According to MPEP 2540: “Maintenance fee correspondence will not be directed to more than one address.” This means that all communications related to maintenance fees will be sent to a single designated fee address. It’s important for patent owners to ensure that the designated fee…
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