In the “Believe it or not” category:

1)      The USPTO is reducing a number of its most used fees on 1/1/14.

 

The utility patent issue fee drops from $1780 to $960 for a large entity;

                                                                            $890 to $480 for a small entity;

                                                                             $445 to $240 for a micro entity.

 

            Similar drops for design and plant issue fees as well as reissue issue fees.

            The publication fees for early, voluntary or normal publication drops to $0.

The USPTO is eliminating the fee for recording a patent assignment that is submitted electronically.

2)       In the PCT world there will be price breaks for small and micro entities:

Transmittal fees

            Search fees (although probably still get better deals from Korea and Russia)
            Supplemental Search fees
            Late payment fees
            Fee for Transmitting Application to International Bureau to act as the RO;
            Preliminary Examination fees;  
            Supplemental Examination fees.

3)      Check here for the full fee schedule for fees paid on or after January 1, 2014.

Lilly scientists prosecuted for trade secret theft

Two former Eli Lilly scientists were arrested and charged by the U.S. Government for stealing and transmitting Lilly trade secrets to a Chinese company.  Guoqing Cao and Shuyu Li, both research scientists with doctoral degrees, have been charged with multiple counts of trade secrets theft and conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. Sections 1832 and 371, according to an Indictment that was recently unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Indianapolis.  The charges against the two naturalized U.S. citizens, who will remain in custody for leaking trade secrets to a Lilly competitor in China, provides an abject lesson for both pharmaceutical companies that fail to safeguard trade secrets and other proprietary information and employees who get caught by federal authorities.