Patent Office Creates New Bar for Attorneys in Design Fields

The US Patent and Trademark Office will create a new design patent bar that expands the admission criteria for attorneys seeking to practice in certain administrative proceedings at the agency.

The change, announced in a final rule set to publish in the Federal Register Thursday, will allow attorneys with degrees in the areas of “industrial design, product design, architecture, applied arts, graphic design, fine/studio arts, or art teacher education” to join the new bar limited to design patents. These attorneys will still be required to pass the office’s registration examination.

Unlike utility patents, which cover how a thing is used ...