About Us | USPTO

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency for granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks. In doing this, the USPTO fulfills the mandate of Article I, Section 8, Clause 8, of the Constitution that the legislative branch "promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." The USPTO registers trademarks based on the commerce clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3). Under this system of protection, American industry has flourished. New products have been invented, new uses for old ones discovered, and employment opportunities created for millions of Americans. The strength and vitality of the U.S. economy depends directly on effective mechanisms that protect new ideas and investments in innovation and creativity. The continued demand for patents and trademarks underscores the ingenuity of American inventors and entrepreneurs. The USPTO is at the cutting edge of the nation's technological progress and achievement.

The USPTO advises the president of the United States, the secretary of commerce, and U.S. government agencies on intellectual property (IP) policy, protection, and enforcement; and promotes the stronger and more effective IP protection around the world. The USPTO furthers effective IP protection for U.S. innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide by working with other agencies to secure strong IP provisions in free trade and other international agreements. It also provides training, education, and capacity building programs designed to foster respect for IP and encourage the development of strong IP enforcement regimes by U.S. trading partners.

Upcoming events

Dec 3 - 5, 2024

Are you unfamiliar with the patent filing process? Are you a first-time application filer or new to Patent Center? Are you unsure where to start? Get a “head StART” with this free, virtual three-day workshop focusing on helping participants learn the fundamentals of the patent application process...

Dec 4, 2024

Are you interested in broadening your knowledge of Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) fundamentals for cross-cutting technologies? If so, join our holiday-inspired Classification Cafe Foundational Knowledge Session on Wednesday, December 4, from 2-3 p.m. ET. Register today Experts from the...

Dec 10 - 11, 2024

Do you have a concept or invention you want to patent? Are you a potential first-time utility patent applicant? Are you interested in learning how to search public patent databases to find patent literature similar to your invention? Join our free, two-day virtual workshop as we help you jump-start...

Dec 10 - 13, 2024

If you are a USPTO-registered patent attorney or agent, it helps to think like a patent examiner. Get a better understanding of how examiners make decisions by attending the Stakeholder Training on Examination Practice and Procedure (STEPP) virtual agent/attorney four-day course. Those who want to...

Dec 11, 2024

Are you a librarian looking for a better understanding of patent concepts? Do you want to be able to share reliable resources with inventors looking to protect their intellectual property? The USPTO's Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) program is offering a webinar that introduces patent...

Dec 14, 2024

Join us for a one-day trademarks boot camp on December 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT in Long Beach, California. This is an in-person, one-day workshop for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and startups in communities with limited or no internet access, covering what they should know about trademarks...

Jan 7, 2025

Are you a small business owner or entrepreneur interested in learning about trademarks and how to apply for a federal registration? If so, this event is a must-attend. In this first module of our eight-part virtual Trademark Basics Boot Camp, we’ll focus on trademark protection in the United States...

Jan 14, 2025

Are you a small business owner or entrepreneur interested in learning about trademarks and how to apply for a federal registration? If so, this event is a must-attend. In this second module of our eight-part virtual Trademark Basics Boot Camp, we’ll focus on the overall trademark registration...

Jan 21, 2025

Are you a small business owner or entrepreneur interested in learning about trademarks and how to apply for a federal registration? If so, this event is a must-attend. In this third module of our eight-part virtual Trademark Basics Boot Camp, we'll focus on important principles related to federal...

Jan 28, 2025

Are you a small business owner or entrepreneur interested in learning about trademarks and how to apply for a federal registration? If so, this event is a must-attend. In this fourth module of our eight-part virtual Trademark Basics Boot Camp, we’ll focus on the requirements for an initial trademark...

News & Updates

USPTO, National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 245 sign new collective bargaining agreement

Washington – The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) Chapter 245 have signed a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the first time in more than 20 years. The CBA, which was last updated in 2001, sets a government-leading standard for...

USPTO terminates patent application proceedings for fraudulent use of signature

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a final order terminating proceedings in roughly 3,100 patent applications for the fraudulent entry of the S-signature of a registered practitioner by someone other than the practitioner. Under the patent rules (37 CFR 1.4)...

Announcing a new filing functionality for Trademark Trial and Appeal Board customers

As part of our efforts to modernize our systems and improve customer experience, we’ve launched the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) Center open beta for filing notices of opposition. An opposition is a TTAB proceeding in which a party may challenge the registration of a trademark. During the...

USPTO seeks to formalize enhanced and streamlined Director Review process through rulemaking

To advance our goal of ensuring fair, transparent, and efficient procedures throughout the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), today we announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the Director Review process for decisions in proceedings under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA...

IP Champions: Expanding the innovation ecosystem by bringing essential intellectual property knowledge to local communities through our nationwide team

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced the launch of the Community Outreach Campaign: Intellectual Property (IP) Champions . This program connects our USPTO employees (our designated "IP Champions")—trained in providing IP awareness and educational resources to diverse...

USPTO’s new Diversity Information Platform: Advancing innovation through data-driven action

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently launched a Diversity Information Platform (DI Platform) to advance diversity and inclusion efforts throughout the innovation ecosystem by providing a no-cost tool for data-driven analyses and a one-stop shop for discussing and sharing best...

Championing diversity: A key message this International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is recognized every year on March 8. Though efforts are ongoing year-round, this month intellectual property (IP) offices worldwide come together to celebrate women’s contributions to the IP system and highlight efforts in place to further inclusion. This year’s...

New USPTO study finds women’s participation in patenting associated with substantial economic value

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) shared a new article published in the journal  Nature Biotechnolog y. The article, titled "Discovering value: Women’s participation in university and commercial artificial intelligence (AI) invention," uses the AI...

USPTO to expand Law School Clinic Certification Program

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is expanding its Law School Clinic Certification Program and extending the submission deadline for additional schools to join the program. Founded in 2008, the program currently includes 60 law school clinics and offers patent and trademark applicants...

Notice something different? Updated website design brings modern, mobile-friendly improvements

Have you noticed something different about the look and feel of www.uspto.gov? We’ve updated our website design to improve your experience. What do the changes mean? The design refresh brings: Increased readability A simpler, more consistent look A more open, less cluttered feel A more responsive...