New USPTO Patent Rules Nixed by Federal Court, Wolf Greenfield Expert Can Comment

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - October 31, 2007) - The US District Court of Eastern Virginia today issued a preliminary injunction preventing the US Patent and Trademark Office from implementing its new controversial rules on the patent-application process, which were scheduled to go into effect tomorrow.

GlaxoSmithKline claimed the rules exceeded the USPTO's authority and violated US patent laws. The American Intellectual Property Law Association supported GlaxoSmithKline's position.

Michael Siekman, a shareholder with Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C., Boston, and an expert on the new patent-prosecution rules, can offer journalists commentary and perspective about the decision.

Wolf Greenfield, the largest law firm in New England devoted exclusively to intellectual property law, serves companies that make everything from pharmaceuticals to software to electronics to snowboards, as well as representing academic research centers. The firm counsels clients in the areas of patents, trademarks, copyrights, designs, trade secrets, and related licensing and litigation. In 2006, the firm filed 2266 patent applications and 883 trademark applications in over 130 countries. Web: www.wolfgreenfield.com

Contact Information: Contact: Henry Stimpson Stimpson Communications 508-647-0705 HStimpson@StimpsonCommunications.com Sara Crocker Wolf Greenfield 617-646-8231 scrocker@wolfgreenfield.com Morgan Feldman Wolf Greenfield 617-646-8378 mfeldman@wolfgreenfield.com