Anthony P. Venturino, Esq.

The NAPP is looking for good leaders! At the 2005 Annual Meeting, NAPP Practitioner Members will vote for new officers. Serving as an officer of the NAPP has many hidden rewards. As President, I have had the opportunity to represent the NAPP at many functions. The President works closely with the Executive Director to help the organization achieve its vision. I have summarized the various officer positions below, and I hope that if you feel that you can contribute in this capacity, you will let us know. Each officer serves a two-year term.

The President presides at all meetings of the Directors and has general management and control of the business and affairs of the organization.

The Vice President, in the absence or disability of the President, exercises the powers and performs the duties of the President. The Vice President also generally assists the President.

The Treasurer is responsible for the review and oversight of the organization's books and financial records on an annual basis. The Treasurer presents an annual financial report to the organization's members at the annual meeting.

The Secretary keeps the minutes of all proceedings of the directors and the organization. The Secretary is also responsible for review and oversight of all minutes and notices of the organization.

The S-Signature - 37 CFR 1.4(d)(2)

An S-Signature is any signature between forward slashes that is not a handwritten or an EFS character coded signature. S-Signatures may be used to sign all correspondence unless otherwise explicitly excluded as set forth in 37 CFR 1.4(e). Use of the S-signature helps expedite the processing of paperwork and will keep the practitioner's signature out of the public domain. For more information, click here.

Foreign Patent Practice

Tips are now availble with respect to PCT filing strategies. For more information, click here.

The NAPP® Patent Practice Forum

Some members have asked if the Patent Practice Forum has an archive. In establishing our new website, some consideration was given to this idea. However, concern evolved around the dissemination of stale or inaccurate information to our members. Therefore, it was decided that there would be no archive for the forum.

Members should not be afraid of posting a topic that has already been discussed. We all know that the law is constantly changing and evolving. Therefore, information that may have been accurate a month ago, may not necessarily be accurate this month. The Patent Practice Forum permits our members to obtain accurate and timely information.

The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and may not necessarily be supported by the NAPP, its members, officers, or directors.

7 Strategies for New Clients

By Ron Reardon

Whether you are a sole practitioner or part of a large firm, there are two nuts that you have to crack to attract new clients: visibility and credibility. Potential clients have to know that you exist, and they need reasons to do business with you instead of your competitors. To learn more click here.

Joy L. Bryant, Esq.

February was a busy month for the NAPP. We began the month by drafting comments to the USPTO request for comments on the CREATE Act. These comments are available on our Web site.

We hope to have our certification program up and running by March 31. Check our Web site for details and to sign-up for this program.

The NAPP hosted its first teleconference on February 15. This conference brought approximately 40 NAPP members together to learn about letters of engagement. The teleconference was well-received, so these programs will continue.

The NAPP was invited to participate in a panel discussion hosted by the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) on March 2. NAPA has been asked by Congress to collect information about the USPTO from its stakeholders. This is a wonderful opportunity for NAPP to express its views and concerns regarding the USPTO.

San Francisco, July 16-19, 2005

All speakers should have received the speaker information sheet. Elections for Officers will take place at this year's meeting. If you are interested in serving, contact Joy Bryant at napp@napp.org.

Annual Meeting Registration will begin on April 1, 2005.

The Georgia Regional Chapter has scheduled its next meeting for April 13. This meeting will involve a panel discussion on how companies select and evaluate patent practitioners. For more details and to register, click here.

The New Jersey Regional Chapter will hold its first meeting of 2005 on March 18. Joy Bryant will present on "The CREATE Act - Its impact on patent prosecution practice." The meeting will take place at Johnson & Johnson in Skillman, NJ. For more details and to register, click here.

The San Francisco Bay Area Regional Chapter held its first meeting on February 1 at Thelen Reid. Approximately 14 people attended the meeting and found Robert Harrison's talk on foreign practice to be quite informative. The next meeting will be in May at the HP facility in Palo Alto. For further details, click here.

Williamsburg, Virginia Members of the NAPP will meet with members of the William & Mary Law School Student Intellectual Property Society for a discussion of the CREATE Act. The meeting is free and will take place on March 21 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law. For further details, click here.

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