[Patentpractice] Interesting notice from USPTO re data breach

[steve at hoffberglaw.com]

I have started a campaign to get the USPTO to stop using color internally, and then pixelating it by screening to achieve a monochrome facsimile.  Or, perhaps the USPTO could move to color IFW?



This problem is especially bad for NPL references, which could simply be included as PDFs in their native format, but for bad choices made 40 years ago.



Why will the USPTO forsake its archaic and inefficient “image file wrapper” format conceived in the 1990s based on 1980’s standards?



I alone do not have sufficient persuasion with the USPTO to effect a change, but perhaps a complaint  from every practitioner who receives a document generated by the USPTO entered into the IFW that is unreadable document or cannot be OCRed, but could have been rendered in monochrome without screening/pixelation might help.



Very truly yours,



Steven M. Hoffberg

Hoffberg & Associates

29  Buckout Road

West Harrison, NY 10604

(914) 949-2300 tel

(845) 625-2547 fax

 <mailto:steve at hoffberglaw.com> steve at hoffberglaw.com

 <https://www.linkedin.com/in/hoffberg/> https://www.linkedin.com/in/hoffberg/



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From: Patentpractice <patentpractice-bounces at oppedahl-lists.com> On Behalf Of Carl Oppedahl via Patentpractice
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2024 2:16 PM
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] Interesting notice from USPTO re data breach



The reason the USPTO email address is barely readable is, the original PDF was in blue or some other non-monochrome color.  And the CIO's Patent Center system halftoned the blue into blur.

On 4/29/2024 11:05 AM, Dan Feigelson via Patentpractice wrote:

  <https://gcfagjf.r.bh.d.sendibt3.com/tr/op/UKdnzUi_kj1eGptcUCbd_inwjf8fNANb5nO_JRbQnjUzbAPrDai52DwqWQBBak77sNyYg_5l4ZKGnydxu1sTiAcyFcnaZ29uXvyfCURrUHHjyAIrhzY_gtI7qDqTGOVCkdwwQXaqUf419lJcTCLOtt2TtxwILyNI-iA_he-Obm3Ry4lkzTGXGvRycqUAWZcjIG5BTBGPg1Y3BuWJE7x60US2SJ3c2VPXMTZi>

Carl, good catch, that was due to the OCR I did of the pdf that the PTO sent.  Here's a screenshot of the actual paragraph:





Not sure why the uspto email address is barely readable...





On Sun, Apr 28, 2024 at 11:49 PM Carl Oppedahl via Patentpractice <patentpractice at oppedahl-lists.com <mailto:patentpractice at oppedahl-lists.com> > wrote:

This notice says:

Inquiries regarding this matter may be directed ... via email addressed to ugPto.gov.

I am pretty sure if I were to address email "to ugPto.gov" it would fail to reach its destination.  This does not instill confidence in our CIO.









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