Notification of Refusal: A notification sent by an office of a designated Contracting Party in an international design application refusing the effects of international registration, in whole or in part, in the territory of that Contracting Party, where the conditions for the grant of protection under the law of that Contracting Party are not met in respect of any or all of the designs that are the subject of an international registration.
Read MoreNotice of Allowance and Fees Due NOA: A notification to the applicant that they are entitled to a patent under the law and requesting payment of a specified issue fee (and possibly a publication fee as well) within three months (non-extendable) from the mailing date of the notice of allowance.
Read MoreNormal Publication: Regular 18-month publication or redacted publication.
Read MoreNon-Trivial Problem: A problem that cannot be solved by laypersons or non-experts, and therefore may be considered for patent protection.
Read MoreNon-Responsive Amendment: An amendment filed by the applicant that does not fully respond to the examiner's office action in accordance with 37 CFR 1.111.
Read MoreNon-Provisional Application: The final patent application.
Read MoreNon-Profit Organization: For purposes of small entity determination per MPEP 509.02 - (1) a university or other institution of higher education located in any country; (2) an organization of the type described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (26 USC 501(c)(3)) and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 USC 501(a)); (3) any nonprofit scientific or educational organization qualified under a nonprofit organization statute of a state of this country (35 USC 201(i)); or (4) any nonprofit organization located in a foreign country which would qualify as a nonprofit organization under paragraphs (e) (2) or (3) of MPEP 509.02 if it were located in this country.
Read MoreNon-obviousness Requirement: The requirement that an invention must not be obvious to a person skilled in the art in order to be patented.
Read MoreNon-Lawyer: A person who is not a licensed attorney or lawyer.
Read MoreNon-Final Office Action (Rejection): An office action made by the examiner where the applicant is entitled to reply and request reconsideration and/or further examination, with or without making an amendment.
Read MoreNOCC: Network Operations Control Center.
Read MoreNIPLECC: National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council. NIPLECC is an interagency group responsible for coordinating the U.S.' domestic and international intellectual property enforcement activities.
Read MoreNew Venture: In the realm of Intellectual Property, a new venture or start up is a company established to commercialize the technology or innovation that was created, often in conjunction with a research university's technology licensing office.
Read MoreNative American Tribal Insignia: Official insignia of a Native American tribe. Tribes may submit their insignias to be entered in our database to aid us in examining trademark applications, so we don't register a trademark that suggests a false connection with their tribe.
Read MoreNational Institutes of Health: The primary Federal agency that conducts and supports medical research. A division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Read MoreMotion Pictures: Audiovisual works consisting of a series of related images which, when shown in succession, impart an impression of motion, together with accompanying sounds, if any.
Read MoreMiTEAS: Madrid International Trademark Electronic Application Submission.
Read MoreMicro Entity: An applicant for patent that enjoys a 75% reduction in certain patent fees upon establishing micro entity status, either by certifying a gross income below a prescribed limit (see Form PTO/SB/15A) or by certifying that the applicant's employer is an institution of higher education (see Form PTO/SB/15B).
Read MoreMere Descriptiveness: The grounds for refusing to register a trademark because it merely describes some aspect of the goods or services without identifying or distinguishing the source of those goods or services. Descriptive marks must have acquired secondary meaning to be protectable.
Read MoreMeans-Plus-Function Claim: A type of claim in a patent that defines an invention by its function rather than its structure.
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