In this week's post, we see that Apple is now requiring “privacy labels” to be attached to any mobile app being offered for download through their App Store.

Plus, the USPTO seeks to revise the eligibility requirements for qualification to take the patent bar, in an effort to help the efficiency of the application process.

What Are Apple Privacy Labels and How Transparent Are They, Really?

In the past few months, there's been a lot of sparring over new Apple privacy labels as they require companies that have apps in the Apple App Stores to comply with Apple’s new policy of disclosing to users what type of data they may be collecting on the user and whether that data can be linked to the user.

Since Apple rolled out these new privacy labels, many have likened Apple’s privacy label to FDA nutrition labels in that they show a user what kind of data-collecting “ingredients” are “packaged” into any particular app. Simply put, Apple touts its “privacy labels” as an easy way for users to quickly determine what kind of data may be collected on them when they use a particular app. In announcing this new feature, Apple stressed that privacy is a “fundamental right” and that “Apple’s ultimate goal” is transparency. 

So how does it work? Read the article here.

It Could Soon be Easier to Qualify for the Patent Bar

On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a Request for Comments to ask for public input of proposed changes to the General Requirements Bulletin for Admission to the Examination for Registration to Practice in Patent Cases Before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Three main categories are used to show eligibility:

Category A “Bachelor’s Degree in a Recognized Technical Subject”

Category B “Bachelor’s Degree in Another Subject”

Category C “Practical Engineering or Scientific Experience”

The proposed changes address the different categories for eligibility to sit for the Patent Bar.

Read the full article here, to see details on the proposed changes, and to access the link to make comments on the Federal Register website.

Click to read the previous Weekly IP Buzz on Thriving Attorney.

For more posts, see our Intellectual Property Law Blog.

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In addition to publishing Thriving Attorney, Darin M. Klemchuk is founder of Klemchuk LLP, a litigation, intellectual property, and transactional law firm located in Dallas, Texas. Click to read more about Darin Klemchuk's practice as an intellectual property lawyer as well as IP mediation services. For more on the latest developments in IP law, see Ideate blog and IP Questions Answered blog.