How does the USPTO handle applications with different inventors but common assignees?
The USPTO has specific procedures for handling applications with different inventors but common assignees, especially when dealing with potentially overlapping inventions. MPEP 817 provides guidance on this issue, particularly in the context of the First Inventor to File (FITF) provisions of the America Invents Act (AIA). Form Paragraph 8.28.aia addresses situations where inventions are not…
Read MoreHow does MPEP 715.01(a) handle references with a common assignee but different inventors?
MPEP 715.01(a) addresses situations where a reference and an application have a common assignee but different inventors. The section states: ‘If the reference is a U.S. patent or application publication of a pending or patented application and names at least one inventor in common with the instant application, a rejection may be overcome as described…
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