Preface
This brief note is not legal advice and is for educational purposes only.
Discussion
So, your patent or trademark attorney communicates to you that you’ve a communication from LIE. Don’t panic it’s not an untruth you’ve been accused of, rather like every department in the federal government it’s the 3 letter acronym for Legal Instruments Examiner (LIE).
A Legal Instruments Examiner (LIE) at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an administrative professional who is responsible for reviewing and processing patent and trademark applications for technical completeness and compliance with legal requirements before they are assigned to patent examiners or trademark attorneys for substantive examination.
LIEs serve a quality control function by ensuring applications are complete and properly formatted before substantive examination begins, they:
- Review incoming applications to ensure they contain all required documents and forms and comply with regulations and procedures.
- Check that applications meet formal USPTO requirements for format, fees, and documentation.
- Correspond with applicants or their attorneys about missing documents or formal issues.
- Route applications to appropriate examination units.
- Process various legal documents related to patent applications like assignments, powers of attorney, and other formal papers.
Conclusion
So, there you have it. You didn’t lie – you just got snagged by the Legal Instruments Examiner (LIE) for something missing or wrong.
