[Patentpractice] PDF forms issue

[Jim Larsen]

My recent experience has been that the PTO forms are fillable using the free Acrobat Reader *if filled manually*.  Reader does not support  automation (e.g., XML-based filling), however.

Best regards,

-Jim

James C. Larsen
Attorney
Larsen IP PLLC
p: 425.298.6846
e: jim at Larsen-IP.com<mailto:jim at Larsen-IP.com>
w. www.Larsen-IP.com<http://www.Larsen-IP.com>

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-------- Original message --------
From: Carl Oppedahl via Patentpractice <patentpractice at oppedahl-lists.com>
Date: 4/19/24 8:19 AM (GMT-08:00)
To: "For patent practitioners. This is not for laypersons to seek legal advice." <patentpractice at oppedahl-lists.com>
Cc: Carl Oppedahl <carl at oppedahl.com>
Subject: Re: [Patentpractice] PDF forms issue


Same here.  See screen shot below.  Acrobat Pro 2017 is installed on my notebook computer.   I paid a one-time fee a long time ago for this software for a paid-up license.  Adobe nowadays does not, for any amount of money, nowadays offer a way to get a new install of Acrobat that is (a) installed on your computer rather than in a cloud, and (b) can be paid for once and then you have a paid-up license.

I imagine that what is going on nowadays is that the USPTO people do not give a moment's thought to the consequences for users when they migrate to the newest version of Acrobat.  Probably what happens is that the USPTO people then update some fillable official USPTO PDF form (for example the inventor declaration) using the newest version of Acrobat.  And Adobe has hidden some code in the newest version of Acrobat that make it so that when the fillable official USPTO PDF form gets updated, this newest version of Acrobat leaves tripwires inside the fillable official USPTO PDF form.  And then when a USPTO customer tries to make use of a version of Acrobat that is not the newest paid-for version, it pukes or crashes or freezes.

Twenty years ago, when the USPTO launched EFS-Web, the USPTO's promise to users was that any and all functions of the fillable official USPTO PDF forms could be carried out by using the free version of Acrobat.

I am pretty sure the USPTO has by now betrayed that promise.  I am pretty sure that the USPTO's revisions to its fillable official USPTO PDF forms have led to a situation where the only way to make use of the forms is by means of paid-for Acrobat, and not only that, the only way to make use of the forms is by means of recurring-cost Acrobat.

On 4/19/2024 8:42 AM, Suzannah K. Sundby via Patentpractice wrote:
Me thinks/suspects that Adobe might be intentionally causing “issues” so that users decide to update their software… which I think they offer subscription only now.

Hence, I’m trying to stick with my Adobe Acrobat Pro 2017 desktop software for as long as possible.

[cid:part1.WECn9ICX.6itU017y at oppedahl.com]
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