Patent Office Drops CLE Certification Program, Pro Bono Credit

The US Patent and Trademark Office is shelving plans to allow patent practitioners to voluntarily certify their continuing legal education and to earn CLE credit for pro bono work, according to an interim final rule scheduled to be published in the Federal Register Nov. 14.

The rule amends PTO regulations, originally adopted in August 2020, that allow registered practitioners to voluntarily certify CLE completion and allowed the PTO to publish those certifications. That rule has yet to be implemented, and after examining public comment the office is now abandoning the effort, a decision “intended to reflect the Office’s focus on ...