Effective April 18, 2023, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will implement a new process of electronic patent issuance. The electronic patent grants, known as eGrants, will be issued through the Patent Center, the USPTO’s electronic patent application filing and management system.

The USPTO will no longer issue patent grants on paper. This applies to all utility, design, plant, and reissue patents. Additional documents, such as Certificates of Correction and Reexamination Certificates, will not be issued electronically at this time.

Patentees will be able to view and print the complete issued patent from the Patent Center immediately upon issue. There will be a transition period where the USPTO will provide a paper copy of the electronic patent grant as a ceremonial copy, which will be delivered to the correspondence address of record for the patentee. The USPTO Certified Copy Center will offer certified copies of the patent and presentation copies of the first page of the patent for a fee.

The electronic patent grant will be the official statutory patent grant. The electronic grants will utilize the portable document format (PDF), will use an encrypted certification/validation technology, and will mirror the appearance of the currently printed and bound patent grants.

The implementation of the issuance of electronic patents allows the USPTO to continue with its efforts to move to a fully electronic processing of patent applications. The new procedure aims to streamline the patent grant process and reduce pendency, minimize paper waste, and permit issued patents to be accessible by both applicants and the public immediately upon issue.

To learn more about the USPTO’s move to eGrants and the published list of FAQs, please visit the USPTO website.

This client alert is not intended to provide legal advice, and no legal or business decision should be based on its content. Questions concerning issues addressed in this client alert should be directed to an attorney.