BSKB News

Learn about BSKB’s announcements, recognitions, and other firm news below.

  • December 20, 2024

    USPTO Fee Update: Key Changes

    As previously announced, the USPTO will implement new patent fees on January 19, 2025. Here are some key changes.

  • December 20, 2024

    BSKB Offices Will Be Closed Wednesday, December 25th, 2024

    BSKB offices will be closed Wednesday, December 25th, 2024 in observance of Christmas Day.

  • November 29, 2024

    Chris McDonald Recognized as a 2024 Virginia Legal Elite

    We are delighted to announce that Mr. Chris McDonald, an esteemed Associate at BSKB, has been selected for the prestigious 2024 Virginia Legal Elite list under the Intellectual Property category.

  • November 20, 2024

    USPTO Trademark Fee Increase

    Effective January 18, 2025, many USPTO fees will increase including application filing.

  • November 20, 2024

    USPTO Patent Fee Update

    Effective January 19, 2025, many USPTO fees will increase including application filing, RCE, appeal and issue fees.

  • November 7, 2024

    Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP Ranked by Best Law Firms® in 2025

    BSKB has been recognized in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms® ranking for Patent Law; Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice; and Litigation – Intellectual Property.

  • October 7, 2024

    USPTO Announcement

    On September 25, 2024, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a Notice that a recent update to their software introduced a coding error into the patent term adjustment (PTA) software used to perform PTA determinations.

  • October 3, 2024

    USPTO ANNOUNCEMENT

    Effective December 15, 2024, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will eliminate the After Final Consideration Pilot Program 2.0 (AFCP 2.0).

  • August 27, 2024

    MaryAnne Armstrong, Ph.D. Selected for the 2024 WIPR Leaders Directory

    BSKB is proud to announce that MaryAnne Armstrong, Ph.D. has been featured in World IP Review’s 2024 Leaders Directory!

  • July 24, 2024

    MaryAnne Armstrong, Ph.D. and Paul Lewis - 2024 IP Stars

    BSKB is proud to announce that partners MaryAnne Armstrong, Ph.D. and Paul Lewis have been named Patent Stars for 2024.

  • May 2, 2024

    USPTO MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS

    As of February 5, 2024, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued Notices of Potential Erroneous Release of Patent Application Title for various applications.

  • January 1, 2024

    Bradford F. Fritz Promoted to Partner

    BSKB is pleased to announce that Bradford F. Fritz has been promoted to Partner of the firm.

  • September 5, 2023

    BSKB Lawyers Recognized as Best Lawyers® Award Recipients

    Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP is pleased to announce that 4 lawyers have been included in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.

  • August 22, 2023

    MaryAnne Armstrong, Ph.D. Selected for The WIPR 2023 Leaders Directory

    BSKB’s MaryAnne Armstrong, Ph.D. has been recognized in the highly regarded WIPR Leaders 2023 Directory.

  • June 6, 2023

    USPTO DOCX Announcement

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has delayed the implementation of the non-DOCX filing surcharge until January 17, 2024. In addition, the option to upload a backup PDF version with the DOCX filing of the application has been extended until further notice.

  • February 27, 2023

    USPTO ANNOUNCEMENT

    The electronic patent grant will be the official statutory patent grant effective April 18, 2023.

  • December 29, 2022

    USPTO DOCX ANNOUNCEMENT

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has delayed the implementation of the non-DOCX filing surcharge until April 3, 2023.

  • October 19, 2022

    USPTO Alert - Office Action response deadlines for trademark applicants

    For those who have filed or will file trademark applications in the USPTO, we wish to inform you of an important update from the USPTO regarding Office Action response deadlines.

  • October 14, 2022

    USPTO DOCX ANNOUNCEMENT

    Our previous announcement of November 24, 2021 noted that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) delayed implementation of the non-DOCX filing surcharge until January 1, 2023. The USPTO has not announced whether there is a need to delay implementation beyond January 1, 2023.

  • June 30, 2022

    MaryAnne Armstrong, Ph.D. & Paul Lewis - Patent Stars for 2022

    BSKB’s MaryAnne Armstrong, Ph.D. and Paul Lewis have been named Patent Stars for 2022. The annual IP Star Rankings, published by Managing IP, are awarded based on peer and client nominations. Additionally, BSKB has been named a “Recommended Firm” for Intellectual Property for 2022.

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