[Pct] Notification/reporting correspondence to clients - PDF vs. email body

[David Boundy]

The list of criteria basically provides the answer -- which characteristic
is important to what letter?

I send engagement letters as PDFs (the formality is essential), bills as
PDFs (that's what my firm's billing system generates), agendas for monthly
meeting in PDF (the formality is psychologically useful) (but during the
phone call, I take notes in the Word doc).   Routine correspondence (such
as reporting either incoming our outgoing correspondence, requesting
instrutions for either reply or for 1-year filing deadline) as email body.

On Wed, Feb 14, 2024 at 2:09 PM Carl Oppedahl via Pct <
pct at oppedahl-lists.com> wrote:

> A listserv member asks to post anonymously ...
>
>
> Hi listmates,
>
> We are currently reconsidering the manner in which we send notifications /
> reporting correspondence to our clients. I’m referring to correspondence
> such as
>
>    - Reporting filing of a patent application
>    - Reporting official communication from a patent office
>    - Reporting an action taken at a patent office, such as responding to
>    an Office Action or filing an IDS
>    - Notification of upcoming 1-year Paris Convention deadline
>    - Notification of upcoming 30-month PCT national phase deadline
>
>
>
> The factors currently affecting our decision include:
>
>    - A PDF letter at least seems more fixed/permanent, and is a discrete
>    “document”.
>    - A PDF letter is more aesthetically pleasing, and can give an
>    impression of formality and/or professionalism.
>    - A PDF letter makes it frustrating for the recipient who is required
>    to take the extra step of opening an attachment in order to read the
>    correspondence.
>    - An email-body letter conveniently remains available below
>    replies/reminders sent in response to the original correspondence.
>    - When accompanying the correspondence with a bill for services
>    rendered, sending the correspondence as an email-body letter avoids
>    potential confusion from multiple/mixture of attachments.
>
>
>
> I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts on whether it is preferable
> to send such correspondence in the body of an email, or as a PDF attachment
> to an email. Perhaps you even have different preferences for different
> types of correspondence. I’d also be interested to know what you do in
> reality!
> --
> Pct mailing list
> Pct at oppedahl-lists.com
> http://oppedahl-lists.com/mailman/listinfo/pct_oppedahl-lists.com
>


-- 


<https://www.iam-media.com/strategy300/individuals/david-boundy>

*David Boundy *| Partner | Potomac Law Group, PLLC

P.O. Box 590638, Newton, MA  02459

Tel (646) 472-9737 | Fax: (202) 318-7707

*dboundy at potomaclaw.com <dboundy at potomaclaw.com>* | *www.potomaclaw.com
<http://www.potomaclaw.com>*

Articles at http://ssrn.com/author=2936470 <http://ssrn.com/author=2936470>
<https://www.keynect.us/requestCardAccess/USA500DBOUN?>

Click here to add me to your contacts.
<https://www.keynect.us/requestCardAccess/USA500DBOUN?>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://oppedahl-lists.com/pipermail/pct_oppedahl-lists.com/attachments/20240214/b2763dd6/attachment.htm>