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Patrick J. Concannon, a partner in Nutter's Intellectual Property Department, wrote an article in Law360 evaluating the recent notice of proposed rulemaking published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that details proposed changes to the USPTO’s rules of practice for trademark application opposition and registration cancellation proceedings. In the article, “How Proposed TTAB Rule Changes Will Affect Non-US Cos.,” Pat details some of the proposed changes, such as the removal of the “service” requirement for pleadings and the impact of the “service” change on non-U.S. trademark registrants. While it is possible that the rules will be modified further before being finalized based upon public comment, it is likely that the rules ultimately will take effect substantially in the form published. He notes that the proposed changes are on the whole sensible and likely to streamline board proceedings but points out that potential pitfalls for practitioners remain.