The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued new rules governing the number of claims in a patent application, and the number of continuing applications that can be filed. Those rules will become effective on November 1, 2007, and most pending applications must comply by February 1, 2008. Also, the USPTO has proposed further rules controlling the scope of claims. This presentation will outline the new and proposed rules, and discuss strategies for patenting chemical inventions in light of those rules.