| Fees, Deposit Accounts, Credit Cards, Refunds, etc. |
Referenced Items (84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112) |
(104) Maintenance Fee Statements are
No Longer being Mailed for
Maintenance Fees Paid over the Internet
Maintenance fees can be paid by deposit account, credit card
and electronic funds transfer (EFT) using the "Office of Finance
On-Line Shopping Page" on the United States Patent and Trademark
Office (USPTO) Internet Web site. When a maintenance fee is paid using
the USPTO Internet Web site, a Web page becomes available that provides
a Maintenance Fee Statement. That Web page displays the official USPTO
Maintenance Fee Statement and must be printed in order to obtain a
paper copy. The USPTO will only mail Maintenance Fee Statements for
payments made by mail, facsimile or hand-delivery; and will not mail
Maintenance Fee Statements for payments made over the Internet.
On April 17, 2004, the USPTO Internet Web site was enhanced by
making the Internet Maintenance Fee Statement Web page the official
Maintenance Fee Statement for maintenance fees paid over the Internet.
Prior to April 17, 2004, the Maintenance Fee Branch of the USPTO would
print a Maintenance Fee Statement and mail it out to the fee address in
response to a maintenance fee paid over the Internet. As the USPTO is
discontinuing this practice for maintenance fees paid over the
Internet, the USPTO Internet Web site now makes clear that the Web page
available for obtaining a Maintenance Fee Statement must be printed in
order to obtain a paper copy.
In addition, the USPTO has added the fee address of record to
the information provided by Internet Maintenance Fee Statements. Prior
to April 17, 2004, some patentees and their representatives desired
that the USPTO send a mailed copy of a Maintenance Fee Statement
because the Internet Maintenance Fee Statement did not include the fee
address information provided by the mailed copy. Further, prior to
April 17, 2004, the USPTO Internet Web site referred to Internet
Maintenance Fee Statements as "interim" statements. Now that
Internet Maintenance Fee Statements include the relevant fee address
information and are official statements, there should be no reason to
prefer a mailed copy.
Questions regarding patent maintenance fees should be directed
to the Maintenance Fee Branch at (703) 308-5068. Questions concerning
this notice should be directed to Tamara McClure by telephone at (703)
308-5075, by facsimile at (703) 308-6778, or by e-mail at
tamara.mcclure@uspto.gov.
May 12, 2004 MICHELLE PICARD
Director, Office of Finance
[1283 OG 108]
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