[Patentpractice] Maintenance Fees - Entity Status Changed by USPTO?

Wed Sep 3 13:43:01 UTC 2025

It has happened before with some of our cases throughout the years.  When we call, they have not been able to figure out what happened.  They have just told us to update it.
Sadly, the clerks we have spoken to have not understood the concern at our end.

Erin D. Geraghty
Paralegal
_____________________________________________
FisherBroyles, LLP
1625 K Street, NW, Suite 550, Washington, DC 20006 USA
direct: +1-443-386-7495
Erin.Geraghty at fisherbroyles.com<mailto:Erin.Geraghty at fisherbroyles.com>

www.fisherbroyles.com<http://www.fisherbroyles.com/>

Atlanta | Austin | Boston | Charlotte | Chicago | Cincinnati | Cleveland | Columbus | Dallas | Denver | Detroit | Houston | London | Los Angeles | Miami | MILWAUKEE | Naples | New York | Palo Alto | Philadelphia | Princeton | Salt Lake City | Seattle | Washington, DC | wilmington

The information contained in this e-mail message is only for the personal and confidential use of the intended recipient(s). If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail, and delete the original message.

We will never use email to notify you of a change to any bank account details we have already provided to you. If you receive any email purporting to come from this firm which seeks to do this, then please contact us immediately by telephone and do not act on it or reply to it.  We cannot accept responsibility for any loss if you do not follow these instructions.

From: Patentpractice <patentpractice-bounces at oppedahl-lists.com> On Behalf Of Suzannah K. Sundby via Patentpractice
Sent: Wednesday, September 3, 2025 9:18 AM
To: Randall Svihla <rsvihla at nsiplaw.com>; For patent practitioners. This is not for laypersons to seek legal advice. <patentpractice at oppedahl-lists.com>
Cc: Suzannah K. Sundby <suzannah at canadylortz.com>
Subject: Re: [Patentpractice] Maintenance Fees - Entity Status Changed by USPTO?

Nothing... no entity status change.

Suzannah K. Sundby<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.linkedin.com_in_ssundby_&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=laE26KlATwcl6WmS-u-lWOwRzUwWk0awqjzSi3uodMc&m=5CukGzI4KMzM9KwErXKB-qMyVX4PgRXcvVgR-e8Ez0wxh5CHFOxwyLgq_0VmmeSV&s=FZ1q-m8zJeyj5n_BlRWH28gVqBEnTJKarNlQHzmXkb4&e=> | Partner
canady + lortz LLP<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.canadylortz.com_&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=laE26KlATwcl6WmS-u-lWOwRzUwWk0awqjzSi3uodMc&m=5CukGzI4KMzM9KwErXKB-qMyVX4PgRXcvVgR-e8Ez0wxh5CHFOxwyLgq_0VmmeSV&s=7yufkddBO4jcWorj-4WLqRh4QnwwPOTX46pkB_nZXvg&e=>
1050 30th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
T: 202.486.8020
F: 202.540.8020
suzannah at canadylortz.com<mailto:suzannah at canadylortz.com>
www.canadylortz.com<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.canadylortz.com_&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=laE26KlATwcl6WmS-u-lWOwRzUwWk0awqjzSi3uodMc&m=5CukGzI4KMzM9KwErXKB-qMyVX4PgRXcvVgR-e8Ez0wxh5CHFOxwyLgq_0VmmeSV&s=7yufkddBO4jcWorj-4WLqRh4QnwwPOTX46pkB_nZXvg&e=>
Confidentiality Notice:  This message is being sent by or on behalf of a lawyer.  It is intended exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed.  This communication may contain information that is proprietary, privileged or confidential, or otherwise legally exempt from disclosure.  If you are not the named addressee, you may not read, print, retain, copy, or disseminate this message or any part.  If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by e-mail and delete all copies of the message.

From: Randall Svihla <rsvihla at nsiplaw.com<mailto:rsvihla at nsiplaw.com>>
Sent: Wednesday, September 3, 2025 9:13 AM
To: For patent practitioners. This is not for laypersons to seek legal advice. <patentpractice at oppedahl-lists.com<mailto:patentpractice at oppedahl-lists.com>>
Cc: Suzannah K. Sundby <suzannah at canadylortz.com<mailto:suzannah at canadylortz.com>>
Subject: RE: Maintenance Fees - Entity Status Changed by USPTO?

What does the transaction history show?

From: Patentpractice <patentpractice-bounces at oppedahl-lists.com<mailto:patentpractice-bounces at oppedahl-lists.com>> On Behalf Of Suzannah K. Sundby via Patentpractice
Sent: Wednesday, September 3, 2025 8:39 AM
To: patentpractice at oppedahl-lists.com<mailto:patentpractice at oppedahl-lists.com>
Cc: Suzannah K. Sundby <suzannah at canadylortz.com<mailto:suzannah at canadylortz.com>>
Subject: [Patentpractice] Maintenance Fees - Entity Status Changed by USPTO?

The first maintenance fee is due in a patent.  The client asked me to change it to small entity so their vendor can pay the small entity maintenance fee.

I checked my records and PatentCrapper.  The application was filed as small entity and the issue fee was also paid as small entity, and at no time did we change the entity status to Large.

Yet, strangely, PatentCrapper shows the entity status as being Regular Undiscounted.

Has this happened to anyone else?

I wonder if the USPTO has decided to automatically change entity status to large for patentees who are companies (not obviously research institutions) to force one to reassert small entity status when paying maintenance fees... and thereby having grounds for applying the severe penalties for incorrect assertions...

Suzannah K. Sundby<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.linkedin.com_in_ssundby_&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=laE26KlATwcl6WmS-u-lWOwRzUwWk0awqjzSi3uodMc&m=5CukGzI4KMzM9KwErXKB-qMyVX4PgRXcvVgR-e8Ez0wxh5CHFOxwyLgq_0VmmeSV&s=FZ1q-m8zJeyj5n_BlRWH28gVqBEnTJKarNlQHzmXkb4&e=> | Partner
canady + lortz LLP<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.canadylortz.com_&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=laE26KlATwcl6WmS-u-lWOwRzUwWk0awqjzSi3uodMc&m=5CukGzI4KMzM9KwErXKB-qMyVX4PgRXcvVgR-e8Ez0wxh5CHFOxwyLgq_0VmmeSV&s=7yufkddBO4jcWorj-4WLqRh4QnwwPOTX46pkB_nZXvg&e=>
1050 30th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
T: 202.486.8020
F: 202.540.8020
suzannah at canadylortz.com<mailto:suzannah at canadylortz.com>
www.canadylortz.com<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.canadylortz.com_&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=laE26KlATwcl6WmS-u-lWOwRzUwWk0awqjzSi3uodMc&m=5CukGzI4KMzM9KwErXKB-qMyVX4PgRXcvVgR-e8Ez0wxh5CHFOxwyLgq_0VmmeSV&s=7yufkddBO4jcWorj-4WLqRh4QnwwPOTX46pkB_nZXvg&e=>
Confidentiality Notice:  This message is being sent by or on behalf of a lawyer.  It is intended exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed.  This communication may contain information that is proprietary, privileged or confidential, or otherwise legally exempt from disclosure.  If you are not the named addressee, you may not read, print, retain, copy, or disseminate this message or any part.  If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by e-mail and delete all copies of the message.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://oppedahl-lists.com/pipermail/patentpractice_oppedahl-lists.com/attachments/20250903/e66f693e/attachment.html>