A recent USPTO notice sends a word of caution to U.S. companies who are outsourcing patent preparation to non-U.S. service providers in an attempt to reduce costs. The notice indicates inventors who do so may need to contact the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) for before exporting technical data abroad for the purpose of filing a patent application in the U.S. or elsewhere.
According to the notice, the USPTO “has established a Licensing and Review Web page on its Web site that includes frequently asked questions regarding foreign filing licenses and related matters. This Web page is located at http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/opla/lr/licensing_review.htm.”
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