U.S. Court of Appeals Recognizes Existence of Patent-Agent Privilege

摘要

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently issued its decision on a petition for a writ of mandamus in In re Queen's Univ. at Kingston, in which the Federal Circuit recognized a patent-agent privilege extending to non-attorney patent agents relating to their authorized practice before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO or Office). In granting the petition, the Federal Circuit reversed an order from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas compelling Queen's University to produce employee communications with its non-attorney patent agents.