An examination for persons seeking registration before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) as patent attorneys and agents will be held July 23 and July 24, 2008, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 2(b)(2)(D) and 37 CFR § 11.7. Monday, April 21, 2008 is the deadline for filing applications along with the appropriate application fee and the $450.00 examination fee and all necessary showings required by 37 CFR § 11.7(a) and § 11.7(b).

The USPTO administered examination is given only at the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia. The USPTO administered examination is NOT given at any other location.

Due to limited seating and the uncertainty of the number of persons applying to take the examination, it is possible that not everyone will be able to take the examination on the same date. Accordingly, the first group of approved applicants filling the available seats will be scheduled to take the examination on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. The next group of approved applicants will be scheduled to take the examination on Thursday, July 24, 2008. Applicants granted admission will be assigned a testing date for the first available date until all test dates are filled. The Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) will notify applicants of their scheduled examination date.

The USPTO administered examination will use paper examination booklets, mark-sense answer sheets, and the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) furnished by the Office. For further information and the application form, consult the General Requirements Bulletin available on the Internet at the following Web address: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/gcounsel/oed.htm . A printed copy of the General Requirements Bulletin is available from the OED as single copies for a prepaid fee of $15.00 per copy.

Applications filed on or after Tuesday, April 22, 2008 will not be considered for the July 2008 examination. A timely filed application is one that is received in the Office on or before April 21, 2008, or mailed on or before April 21, 2008, in full compliance with the certificate of mailing provisions of 37 CFR § 1.8, or 37 CFR § 1.10. Please consult the provisions of 37 CFR §§ 1.8 and 1.10. A mere postmark on an application-containing envelope is not sufficient to meet the deadline. Inasmuch as applications must bear applicant's original signature, 37 CFR § 1.4(e), they may not be filed by facsimile or electronically.

Registration does not qualify one for practice before the Office in trademark cases. Such recognition is governed by 37 CFR § 10.14.

For further information, please contact the Office of Enrollment and Discipline by calling (571) 272-4097.

Harry I. Moatz
Director of Enrollment and Discipline
January 15, 2008