By Christopher P. Singer —

In an August 27, 2008 notice, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that it is changing certain forms to remove language that requests a duplicate copy of the form be submitted for fee processing purposes.  Previously, the duplicate copy of forms that contained an authorization to charge fees to a deposit account allowed for faster processing, because hardcopy paper application files were maintained in one area of the Office, while fee processing was done in another area of the Office.  Currently, with the push to go paperless, the Office scans all incoming submissions into the Image File Wrapper (IFW) of an application, a reexamination proceeding, or a patent, including forms that contain an authorization to charge or credit a fee amount to a deposit account.  Because the form is scanned into IFW, it is available and viewable throughout the PTO for all purposes, including fee processing.  The Office is working on revising a number of forms in order to remove the "duplicate copy" language.  Going forward, even if a duplicate copy of a certain form is needed (if it is not scanned or under a secrecy order), the USPTO will make the required copy for fee processing purposes.