1. The USPTO has formally acknowledged the impact of Hurricane Gustav (in Louisiana and Texas) and Hurricane Ike (in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas) as a postal service interruption and emergency within the meaning of 35 U.S.C. § 21(a) and 37 C.F.R. § 1.10(i) and 2.194(e), and has provided specific information relating to patent and trademark correspondence.

USPTO Announcement: LINK

2. The European Patent Office (EPO) recently announced that the Croatian esp@cenet service was launched last week, providing “internet access to published Croatian patent applications and granted patents absolutely free of cost.”

EPO Announcement: LINK
Croatian esp@cenet Webpage: LINK

3. The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has recently published specific amendments to the Industrial Design Regulations within Part II of the September 17, 2008 installment of the Canada Gazette. These amendments will increase flexibility concerning the requirements on color, size, and quality of design applications, increase clarity with respect to design illustrations, and add flexibility related to including the environment of an article within a design application.

CIPO Announcement: LINK
Canada Gazette Section: LINK