The USPTO has published a final rule implementing the USPTO Rules of Professional Conduct (USPTO Rules). This rule replaces the USPTO Code of Professional Responsibility and conforms to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct of the American Bar Association, versions of which have been adopted by 49 states and the District of Columbia. The new USPTO Rules streamline practitioners' professional responsibility obligations, making the USPTO obligations align with most practitioners' state bar requirements.
Final Rule (Federal Register Notice)
Final Rule (doc- Microsoft Word)
ABA and USPTO Rule Comparison Chart (pdf- Adobe Acrobat)
Proposed vs. Final USPTO Rule Comparison Chart (pdf- Adobe Acrobat)
Link to Proposed Rule and Comments
Speaking Engagements
- NJIPLA - Ethics in IP
Hotel Woodbridge at Metropark
120 Wood Avenue South, Iselin, NJ 08830
December 10, 2014 at 1:00 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Lucia Triolo at njadmin@njipla.org or call (908) 533-3188.
Click here for presentation slides - Rochester Intellectual Property Law Association (RIPLA) Annual Fall Seminar
Casa Larga Vineyard
2287 Turk Hill Road, Fairport, NY 14450
November 14, 2014 at 9:30 a.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Megan O'Gara at (585) 270-2110. - Eighth Annual Georgia State University Corporate Intellectual Property Institute
Georgia State University, Student Center Building
44 Courtland Street, Atlanta, GA 30303
October 27, 2014 at 9:45 a.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Chason Carroll at ccarroll@muellerwp.com or call (770) 206-4238.
Click here for presentation slides - AIPLA 2014 Annual Meeting
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
2660 Woodley Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
October 25, 2014 at 9:00 a.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register
Click here for presentation slides - 2014 NAPP Annual Meeting and Conference
Hilton Alexandria Old Town
1767 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
July 21, 2014 at 4:00 p.m.
Open to Patent Practitioners, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Sarah Gabriel at representative@napp.org.
Click here for presentation slides - Ninth Annual Door County Intellectual Property Academy
Stone Harbor Resort & Conference Center
107 North First Ave, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
July 18, 2014 at 9:55 a.m.
Open to members of the Wisconsin State Bar, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Jean Baker at Jean.Baker@quarles.com or call (414) 277-5709.
Click here for presentation slides - Virginia State Bar Intellectual Property Law Section Annual Spring Ethics CLE Seminar
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
1737 King Street, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA 22314-2727
May 28, 2014 at 12:00 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Jonathan Bowser at jon.bowser@bipc.com or call (703) 838-6527.
Click here for presentation slides - 2014 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute
Sprint Corporation
6050 Sprint Pkwy, Overland Park, KS 66251
May 2, 2014 at 10:55 a.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Dawn Phoenix at dphoenix@ksbar.org or call (785) 861-8811.
Click here for presentation slides - IPO Education Foundation PTO Day Conference
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC
March 25, 2014 at 3:30 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact meetings@ipo.org or call (202) 507-4500. - Florida Bar's 2014 IP Symposium
Hilton Downtown Tampa
211 North Tampa Street, Tampa, FL 33602
March 21, 2014 at 12:00 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Michael Colitz at Michael.Colitz@gray-robinson.com or call (813) 273-5298.
Click here for presentation slides - 9th Annual Advanced Patent Law Institute
United States Patent and Trademark Office Main Auditorium
600 Dulany Street, Alexandria VA 22314
January 24, 2014 at 10:30 a.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Diana Garcia at dgarcia@law.utexas.edu or call (512) 232-1170. - Gulf Coast Patent Association Fall 2013 Meeting
New Orleans Bio Innovation Center
1441 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70112
November 22, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Kathy Chapman at (617) 459-6487. - Utah Bar IP Section CLE Luncheon
Utah Law & Justice Center
645 South 200 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
November 21, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Metra Barton at Metra.Barton@utahbar.org or call (801) 297-7032.
Click here for presentation slides - 2013 Iowa Intellectual Property Law Association (IIPLA) Conference
12633 Resort Drive, Moravia, IA 52571
October 11, 2013 at 8:00 a.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register
For general inquiries, contact Ryan Carter at Rncarter@nyemaster.com or call (319) 286-7004 - 25th Annual IP Fall CLE Weekend Seminar
Williamsburg Lodge
310 South England Street, Williamsburg, VA 23185
October 4, 2013 at 2:15 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register
For general inquiries, contact Timothy Lockhart at tlockhart@wilsav.com or call (757) 628-5582 - 2013 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute
Minnesota CLE Conference Center
600 Nicollet Mall, Suite 370, Minneapolis, MN 55402
September 27, 2013 at 1:30 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Minnesota CLE at (800) 759-8840 -
Houston IP Law Association and University of Houston Law Center
29th Annual Institute on Intellectual Property Law
Moody Gardens Hotel
7 Hope Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77554
September 26, 2013 at 3:15 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register
For general inquiries, contact Sindee Bielamowicz at sbielamowicz@central.uh.edu or call (713) 743-2180
Click here for presentation slides - Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) 2013 Annual Meeting
Sheraton Boston Hotel
39 Dalton Street, Boston, MA 02199
September 17, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register
For general inquiries, contact IPO at meetings@ipo.org or call (202) 507-4500
Click here for presentation slides - The Columbus Intellectual Property Law Association
The Athletic Club of Columbus
136 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43215
September 12, 2013 at 12:30 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Yimei Hammond at yhammond@ohiopatent.com or call (614) 575-2100 - 2013 National Organization of Bar Counsel (NOBC) Annual Conference
"Meet the Regulators" Panel
Marriott Union Square
480 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94108
August 9, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. PDT
Open to the public, all attendees must register - NYIPLA 2013 Hot Topics in Trademarks, Advertising, Copyrights & Design Patents CLE Seminar
The Princeton Club, 15 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036
July 17, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register in advance
For general inquiries, contact Pina Campagna at pgulla@cdfslaw.com or call (631) 501-5716
Click here for presentation slides - Trademark Ethics Lecture
USPTO's New Ethics Rules
July 11, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.
Open to Government Employees Only
For general inquiries, contact Katie Trijo at Katie.Trijo@uspto.gov or call (571) 272-8898 - Law Seminars International
"New USPTO Professional Conduct Rules"
July 10, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.
For general inquiries, contact Katy O'Donnell at kodonnell@lawseminars.com or call (708) 280-4837 - McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP - Webinar
"Harmonization of USPTO Ethical Standards in the Post-AIA Era"
May 30, 2013 at 11:00 a.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register in advance.
For general inquiries, contact Andrew Williams at williams@mbhb.com - Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago - Webinar
May 21, 2013 at 2:30 p.m.
Open to the public.
For general inquiries, contact Daniel Gurfinkel at dgurfinkel@dennemeyer-law.com or call (312) 380-6504 - Greater Richmond Intellectual Property Law Association (GRIPLA) Meeting - Webinar
McGuireWoods LLP
901 East Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23219
May 15, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.
Open to the public, but CLE credit is restricted to dues paying members.
For general inquiries, contact Janet Peyton at jpeyton@mcguirewoods.com or call (804) 775-1166 - Virginia CLE Seminar
105 Whitewood Road, Charlottesville, VA 22901
April 4, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Brian Bill at brian.j.bill@vacle.org or call (434) 951-0054 - The Intellectual Property Section of the Colorado Bar Association
Building 5, Grand Canyon Conference Room
500 Eldorado Blvd, Broomfield, CO 80021
March 5, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.
Open to the public
For general inquiries, contact Daniel Sherwinter at dsherwinter@mfblaw.com or call (720) 562-5511 - The Pauline Newman IP American Inn of Court Ethics Meeting
USPTO Madison Auditorium
February 20, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
Open to Pauline Newman Inn and George Mason Inn Members and Guests Only - Advanced Intellectual Property Law
Four Seasons Hotel Austin
98 San Jacinto Boulevard, Austin, TX 78701
February 14, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Katherine Minardi at kminardi@texasbar.com or call (512) 427-1799 - Annual Corporate Intellectual Property Law Conference
Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza Hotel
350 West Mart Drive, Chicago, IL 60654
February 13, 2013 at 8:00 a.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact Megan Buckley at (312) 644-6762 - Boston Patent Law Association
"Ethics Tales, Issues and New Rules: Straight from the OED"
Anthony's Pier 4 Restaurant
140 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA 02210
February 12, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, please email kmorgan@sunsteinlaw.com - Patent and Trademark Office Day
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC
December 10, 2012 at 3:30 p.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For general inquiries, contact meetings@ipo.org or call (202) 507-4500 - University of Notre Dame The Law School
1100 Eck Hall of Law, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
December 4, 2012 at 5:30 p.m.
Open to the public
For more information, please contact Jodi Clifford at Joanne.E.Clifford.20@nd.edu or (574) 631-1148 - Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
"Intellectual Property and Public Rights of Access: The Evolving 21st Century Balance"
530 West New York Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202 (Wynne Courtroom and Conour Atrium, Inlow Hall)
November 30, 2012 at 11:00 a.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register.
For more information, please contact Professor John R. Schaibley at jrschaib@iu.edu or (317) 278-4736 - University of Washington School of Law
William H. Gates Hall
4293 Memorial Way Seattle, WA 98195
November 14, 2012 at 12:30 p.m.
Open to the public
Please RSVP by November 7th, 2012 to annaba@uw.edu or (206) 543-4551 - Rutgers School of Law - Newark
123 Washington Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102
November 13, 2012 at 4:00 p.m.
Open to the public
For more information, please contact Professor John R. Kettle at jkettle@kinoy.rutgers.edu or (973) 353-3257 - 2012 AIPLA Annual Meeting
"Most Important Changes Under the AIA - Laws, Rules, and Best Practices"
2660 Woodley Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
October 26, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.
Open to the public, all attendees must register - Michigan IP Inn of Court
U.S. Courthouse for the Eastern District of Michigan
231 West Lafayette, Detroit, Michigan 48226
October 23, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.