On February 27, 2023, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a final decision to implement the issuance of electronic Letters Patents effective April 18, 2023.
Thus, beginning April 18, formal patent grants will no longer be issued on paper but instead will be issued electronically and will be immediately available on the issue date. The electronic patent grant will be the official statutory patent grant. Ceremonial paper copies will be available for purchase at a nominal charge; however, no details are yet available regarding the form of the ceremonial copy or the related charge. We will update this Notice as more details become available from the USPTO.
For more information, read the full Federal Register Notice or visit the eGrant webpage on the USPTO website, where you can find our eGrant FAQ document and additional information.