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57-699: The United States Patent and Trademark Office ( USPTO ) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia , after a 2005 move from the Crystal City area of neighboring Arlington , Virginia . The USPTO is "unique among federal agencies because it operates solely on fees collected by its users, and not on taxpayer dollars". Its "operating structure

114-481: A computer screen, thus making them part of an article of manufacture with practical utility. Screen layouts can also be protected with design patents. In China , Canada , Japan , South Africa , and the United States , a design patent application is not published and is kept secret until granted. In Brazil , the applicant can request that the application be kept in secrecy for a period of 180 days from

171-417: A design by filing a single application in a single language (e.g. English). A US design patent covers the ornamental design of an article of manufacture. An object with a design that is substantially similar in appearance to the design claimed in a design patent cannot be made, used, sold or imported into the United States without the permission of the patent holder. The object does not have to be exact for

228-490: A given shape, for example, might be cited as prior art against a design patent on a computer icon with a shield shape. However, recent case law has held that the shape of an art tool cannot be cited as anticipatory prior art against the substantially identical shape of a lip implant. The validity of design patents is not affected by whether or not the design is commercialized. Items can be covered by both trademarks and design patents. The contour bottle of Coca-Cola , for example,

285-484: A licensed attorney; a patent attorney is a person who has passed both a state bar and the patent bar and is in good standing as an attorney. A patent agent can only act in a representative capacity in patent matters presented to the USPTO, and may not represent a patent holder or applicant in a court of law. To be eligible for taking the patent bar exam, a candidate must possess a degree in "engineering or physical science or

342-475: A patent application and prosecute it on his or her own behalf ( pro se ). If it appears to a patent examiner that an inventor filing a pro se application is not familiar with the proper procedures of the Patent Office, the examiner may suggest that the filing party obtain representation by a registered patent attorney or patent agent. The patent examiner cannot recommend a specific attorney or agent, but

399-721: A patent case. Under the America Invents Act , the BPAI was converted to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or "PTAB". Similarly, decisions of trademark examiners may be appealed to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board , with subsequent appeals directed to the Federal Circuit, or a civil action may also be brought. In recent years, the USPTO has seen increasing delays between when a patent application

456-495: A permanent end to fee diversion. The discussion of which party can appropriate the fees is more than a financial question. Patent fees represent a policy lever that influences both the number of applications submitted to the office as well as their quality. The USPTO examines applications for trademark registration, which can be filed under five different filing bases: use in commerce, intent to use, foreign application, foreign registration, or international registration. If approved,

513-403: A slowdown in new application filings since the onset of the late-2000s economic crisis , and projections of substantial declines in maintenance fees in coming years, the agency imposed a hiring freeze in early March 2009. In 2006, USPTO instituted a new training program for patent examiners called the "Patent Training Academy". It is an eight-month program designed to teach new patent examiners

570-570: A “utility patent” protects the way an article is used and works (35 U.S.C. 101), while a “design patent” protects the way an article looks (35 U.S.C. 171). The ornamental appearance for an article includes its shape/configuration or surface ornamentation applied to the article, or both. Both design and utility patents may be obtained on an article if its novelty resides both in its utility and ornamental appearance." MPEP - Distinction Between Design and Utility Patents Copyright prevents nonfunctional items from being copied. To show copyright infringement,

627-416: Is also skill required when searching for prior art that is used to support the application and to prevent applying for a patent for something that may be unpatentable. A patent examiner will make special efforts to help pro se inventors understand the process but the failure to adequately understand or respond to an Office action from the USPTO can endanger the inventor's rights, and may lead to abandonment of

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684-489: Is filed and when it issues. To address its workload challenges, the USPTO has undertaken an aggressive program of hiring and recruitment. The USPTO hired 1,193 new patent examiners in Fiscal Year 2006 (year ending September 30, 2006), 1,215 new examiners in fiscal 2007, and 1,211 in fiscal year 2008. The USPTO expected to continue hiring patent examiners at a rate of approximately 1,200 per year through 2012; however, due to

741-555: Is like a business in that it receives requests for services—applications for patents and trademark registrations—and charges fees projected to cover the cost of performing the services [it] provide[s]". The Office is headed by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, currently held by Kathi Vidal as of April 19, 2022. Andrei Iancu

798-413: Is particularly true in the fast-growing area of business method patents . As of 2005, patent examiners in the business method area were still examining patent applications filed in 2001. The delay was attributed by spokesmen for the Patent Office to a combination of a sudden increase in business method patent filings after the 1998 State Street Bank decision , the unfamiliarity of patent examiners with

855-756: Is the bicameral legislature of the United States government, and is made up of two chambers: the United States Senate (the upper chamber) and the United States House of Representatives (the lower chamber). Together, the two chambers exercise authority over the following legislative agencies: The legislature also oversees the Library of Congress (LOC), a national library dedicated to national records, which administers various programs, agencies, and services including: The federal judiciary consists of courts established under Article Three of

912-739: The Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences , an administrative law body of the USPTO. Decisions of the BPAI could further be appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit , or a civil suit could be brought against the Commissioner of Patents in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia . The United States Supreme Court may ultimately decide on

969-639: The Executive Residence (EXR) maintained by the Office of Administration (OA). To effectively run the country's affairs, the President also maintains councils regarding various issues, including: Design patent A similar intellectual property right, a registered design , can be obtained in other countries. In Kenya , Japan , South Korea and Hungary , industrial designs are registered after performing an official novelty search. In

1026-723: The Freedom of Information Act and the Government in the Sunshine Act . These further cloud attempts to enumerate a list of agencies. The executive branch of the federal government includes the Executive Office of the President and the United States federal executive departments (whose secretaries belong to the Cabinet ). Employees of the majority of these agencies are considered civil servants . The majority of

1083-803: The Patent Cooperation Treaty . The legal basis for the United States patent system is the Copyright Clause in Section 8 of Article I of the U.S. Constitution , which gives Congress the power to grant patents and copyrights on a national basis. Trademark law, on the other hand, is considered to be authorized by the Commerce Clause . The Congress shall have Power ... To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors

1140-948: The budget sequestration , the satellite office for Silicon Valley, which is home to one of the nation's top patent-producing cities, was put on hold. However, renovation and infrastructure updates continued after the sequestration, and the Silicon Valley location opened in the San Jose City Hall in 2015. As of September 30, 2009, the end of the U.S. government's fiscal year, the PTO had 9,716 employees, nearly all of whom are based at its five-building headquarters complex in Alexandria. Of those, 6,242 were patent examiners (almost all of whom were assigned to examine utility patents ; only 99 were assigned to examine design patents ) and 388 were trademark examining attorneys ;

1197-633: The independent agencies of the United States government are also classified as executive agencies (they are independent in that they are not subordinated under a Cabinet position). There are a small number of independent agencies that are not considered part of the executive branch, such as the Congressional Research Service and the United States Sentencing Commission , which are legislative and judicial agencies, respectively. The U.S. Congress

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1254-518: The 2009 National Trademark Expo, the Trademark Office designed and launched a kid-friendly trademark mascot known as T. Markey, who appears as an anthropomorphized registered trademark symbol. T. Markey is featured prominently on the Kids section of the USPTO website, alongside fellow IP mascots Ms. Pat Pending (with her robot cat GeaRS) and Mark Trademan. In 2020, trademark applications marked

1311-647: The Alexandria Campus, consisting of 11 buildings in a city-like development surrounded by ground floor retail and high rise residential buildings between the Metro stations of King Street station (the main search building is two blocks due south of the King Street station) and Eisenhower Avenue station where the actual Alexandria Campus is located between Duke Street (on the North) to Eisenhower Avenue (on

1368-589: The Commissioner for Patents oversaw three main bodies, headed by the former Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations, Peggy Focarino, the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy, which was held by Andrew Hirshfeld up until 2015, and finally the Commissioner for Patent Resources and Planning, which was vacant at that time. The Patent Operations of the office is divided into nine different technology centers that deal with various arts. Prior to 2012, decisions of patent examiners could be appealed to

1425-408: The Patent Office does post a list of those who are registered. While the inventor of a relatively simple-to-describe invention may well be able to produce an adequate specification and detailed drawings, there remains language complexity in what is claimed , either in the particular claim language of a utility application, or in the manner in which drawings are presented in a design application. There

1482-771: The South), and between John Carlyle Street (on the East) to Elizabeth Lane (on the West) in Alexandria, Virginia. An additional building in Arlington, Virginia , was opened in 2009. The USPTO was expected by 2014 to open its first ever satellite offices in Detroit , Dallas , Denver , and Silicon Valley to reduce backlog and reflect regional industrial strengths. The first satellite office opened in Detroit on July 13, 2012. In 2013, due to

1539-542: The U.S. Trademark Office originated in China. Since 2008, the Trademark Office has hosted a National Trademark Expo every two years, billing it as "a free, family-friendly event designed to educate the public about trademarks and their importance in the global marketplace." The Expo features celebrity speakers such as Anson Williams (of the television show Happy Days ) and basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and has numerous trademark-holding companies as exhibitors. Before

1596-414: The USPTO director. She was sworn in on April 13, 2022. On December 16, 2022, Kathi Vidal announced that Vaishali Udupa, an intellectual property attorney, engineer, and currently a top executive from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), will join the 13,000-person Department of Commerce agency as the new Commissioner for Patents effective January 17, 2023. For many years, Congress has "diverted" about 10% of

1653-611: The United States Constitution . These are the The United States bankruptcy courts , while not established as Article III courts, are legally designated as "units of the district courts." The judicial branch includes the following agencies: The President of the United States is the chief executive of the federal government. He is in charge of executing federal laws and approving, or vetoing, new legislation passed by Congress. The President resides in

1710-461: The application and also includes an interview with the examiner. The first accelerated patent was granted on March 15, 2007, with a six-month issuance time. As of the end of 2008, there were 1,208,076 patent applications pending at the Patent Office. At the end of 1997, the number of applications pending was 275,295. Therefore, over those eleven years there was a 439% increase in the number of pending applications. December 2012 data showed that there

1767-500: The application. The USPTO accepts patent applications filed in electronic form. Inventors or their patent agents/attorneys can file applications as Adobe PDF documents. Filing fees can be paid by credit card or by a USPTO "deposit account". The USPTO web site provides free electronic copies of issued patents and patent applications as multiple-page TIFF (graphic) documents. The site also provides Boolean search and analysis tools. The USPTO's free distribution service only distributes

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1824-436: The bulk of the employees at USPTO. They hold degrees in various scientific disciplines, but do not necessarily hold law degrees. Unlike patent examiners, trademark examiners must be licensed attorneys. All examiners work under a strict, "count"-based production system. For every application, "counts" are earned by composing, filing, and mailing a first Office action on the merits, and upon disposal of an application. In 2012,

1881-506: The business and financial arts (e.g., banking, insurance , stock trading etc.), and the issuance of a number of controversial patents ( e.g. , U.S. patent 5,960,411 " Amazon one click patent ") in the business method area. Effective August 2006, the USPTO introduced an accelerated patent examination procedure in an effort to allow inventors a speedy evaluation of an application with a final disposition within twelve months. The procedure requires additional information to be submitted with

1938-620: The countries of the European Community , one needs to only pay an official fee and meet other formal requirements for registration (e.g. Community design at EUIPO , Germany , France , Spain ). For the member states of WIPO , cover is afforded by registration at WIPO and examination by the designated member states in accordance with the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement . This allows for broad worldwide coverage of

1995-443: The date of filing (with some exceptions). Design patents cover the ornamental appearance of an item. Design patents can be invalidated if the design is dictated solely by function (e.g. the outline of a key blade blank). Design patents are valid for 14 years from the date of issue if filed prior to May 13, 2015, or 15 years from the date of issue if filed on or after May 13, 2015. There are no maintenance fees. "In general terms,

2052-449: The equivalent of such a degree". Any person who practices trademark law before the USPTO must be an active member in good standing of the highest court of any state. The United States allows any citizen from any country to sit for the patent bar (if he/she has the requisite technical background). Only Canada has a reciprocity agreement with the United States that confers upon a patent agent similar rights. An unrepresented inventor may file

2109-488: The exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries. The USPTO maintains a permanent, interdisciplinary historical record of all U.S. patent applications in order to fulfill objectives outlined in the United States Constitution . The PTO's mission is to promote "industrial and technological progress in the United States and strengthen the national economy" by: The USPTO is headquartered at

2166-399: The fees that the USPTO collected into the general treasury of the United States. In effect, this took money collected from the patent system to use for the general budget. This fee diversion has been generally opposed by patent practitioners (e.g., patent attorneys and patent agents ), inventors, the USPTO, as well as former federal judge Paul R. Michel . These stakeholders would rather use

2223-428: The filing date. This will also delay the prosecution and granting of the application for 180 days. In Japan, an applicant can request that a design be kept secret for a period of up 3 years after the registration has been granted. US utility patents protect the functionality of a given item, i.e., how a product works. Providing the maintenance fees are paid, utility patents are generally valid for up to 20 years from

2280-401: The fundamentals of patent law, practice and examination procedure in a college-style environment. Because of the impending USPTO budget crisis previously alluded to, it had been rumored that the academy would be closed by the end of 2009. Focarino, then Acting Commissioner for Patents, denied in a May 2009 interview that the academy was being shut down, but stated that it would be cut back because

2337-580: The funds to improve the patent office and patent system, such as by implementing the USPTO's 21st Century Strategic Plan. The last six annual budgets of the George W. Bush administration did not propose to divert any USPTO fees, and the first budget of the Barack Obama administration continued this practice, as well as the second budget of the Trump administration; however, stakeholders continue to press for

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2394-516: The hiring goal for new examiners in fiscal 2009 was reduced to 600. Ultimately, 588 new patent examiners were hired in fiscal year 2009. In 2016, the USPTO partnered with the Girl Scouts of the USA to create an " Intellectual Property Patch" merit badge , which is awarded to Girl Scouts at four different levels. In October 2021, President Joe Biden nominated attorney Kathi Vidal to serve as

2451-427: The infringing item was copied from the original. Thus a design that was arrived at independently can still infringe a design patent. Many objects can be covered by both copyright and design patents. The Statue of Liberty is one such example. Trademarks and trade dress are used to protect consumers from confusion as to the source of specified goods. To get trademark protection, the trademark owner must show that

2508-412: The mark is non-functional, is distinctive, and is not likely to be confused with other trademarks for items in the same general class. The trademarks can last indefinitely as long as they are used in commerce. Design patents are only granted if the design is novel and not obvious over prior art designs, generally even those of different articles of manufacture than the patented object. An actual shield of

2565-415: The non-obviousness of an ornamental design. There is substantial case law, however, on how to evaluate design patent non-obviousness. Once a design patent has been submitted, it begins a term of protection. In the United States, for a design patent whose application was submitted on or after May 13, 2015, that patent has a term limit of 15 years from its date of grant. For a design patent whose application

2622-654: The number of employees who could be punished. List of federal agencies in the United States [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Legislative definitions of an agency of the federal government of the United States are varied, and even contradictory. The official United States Government Manual offers no definition. While the Administrative Procedure Act definition of "agency" applies to most executive branch agencies, Congress may define an agency however it chooses in enabling legislation, and through subsequent litigation often involving

2679-518: The patent and trademark applications, and participating in administrative appeals and other proceedings before the PTO examiners, examining attorneys and boards. The USPTO sets its own standards for who may practice. Any person who practices patent law before the USPTO must become a registered patent attorney or agent. A patent agent is a person who has passed the USPTO registration examination (the "patent bar") but has not passed any state bar exam to become

2736-548: The patent documents as a set of TIFF files. Numerous free and commercial services provide patent documents in other formats, such as Adobe PDF and CPC . The USPTO has been criticized for granting patents for impossible or absurd, already known, or arguably obvious inventions. Economists have documented that, although the USPTO makes mistakes when granting patents, these mistakes might be less prominent than some might believe. The USPTO has been criticized for taking an inordinate amount of time in examining patent applications. This

2793-467: The patent to be infringed. It only has to be substantially similar in overall appearance. Design patents with line drawings cover only the features shown as solid lines. Items shown in broken lines are not covered. This is one of the reasons Apple was awarded a jury verdict in the US case of Apple v. Samsung . Apple's patent showed much of their iPhone design as broken lines. It didn't matter if Samsung

2850-399: The plaintiff must show the infringing item was copied from the original. The copyrighted artistic expression must either have no substantial practical utility (e.g. a statue) or be separable from the useful substrate (e.g. picture on a coffee mug). Design patents, on the other hand, protect the ornamental aspects of an article of manufacture from being infringed. One does not have to show that

2907-403: The rest are support staff. While the agency has noticeably grown in recent years, the rate of growth was far slower in fiscal 2009 than in the recent past; this is borne out by data from fiscal 2005 to the present: As of the end of FY 2018, the USPTO was composed of 12,579 federal employees, including 8,185 patent examiners, 579 trademark examiners, and 3,815 other staff. Patent examiners make up

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2964-609: The sharpest declines and inclines in American history. During the spring, COVID-19 lockdowns led to reduced filings, which then increased in July 2020 to exceed the previous year. August 2020 was subsequently the highest month of trademark filings in the history of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The USPTO only allows certain qualified persons to practice before the USPTO. Practice includes filing of patent and trademark applications on behalf of individuals and companies, prosecuting

3021-903: The trademarks are registered on either the Principal Register or the Supplemental Register , depending upon whether the mark meets the appropriate distinctiveness criteria. This federal system governs goods and services distributed via interstate commerce, and operates alongside state level trademark registration systems. Trademark applications have grown substantially in recent years, jumping from 296,490 new applications in 2000, to 345,000 new applications in 2014, to 458,103 new applications in 2018. Recent growth has been driven partially by growing numbers of trademark applications originating in China; trademark applications from China have grown more than 12-fold since 2013, and in 2017, one in every nine trademark applications reviewed by

3078-498: Was 597,579 unexamined patent applications in the backlog. During the four years since 2009, more than a 50% reduction was achieved. First action pendency was reported as 19.2 months. In 2012, the USPTO initiated an internal investigation into allegations of fraud by employees taking advantage of its remote work policies. Investigators discovered that some patent examiners had lied about the hours they had worked, but high level officials prevented access to computer records, thus limiting

3135-475: Was different in those areas. The fact that the solid lines of the patent were the same as Samsung's design meant that Samsung infringed the Apple design patent. Design patents are subject to both the novelty and non-obviousness standards of the patent code. However, because design patents are not measured based on the utility of the designs to which they are directed, there is an open question as to how to measure

3192-446: Was submitted prior to that date, the term limit is 14 years from the date of grant. During this period the patent holder is entitled to bring a lawsuit against any entity that infringes on that patent; once the term expires, it may not be renewed and the design patent ceases to receive protection in US courts. Both novel fonts and computer icons can be covered by design patents. Icons are only covered, however, when they are displayed on

3249-635: Was the former director of the USPTO until he left office on January 20, 2021. The USPTO cooperates with the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) as one of the Trilateral Patent Offices . The USPTO is also a Receiving Office, an International Searching Authority and an International Preliminary Examination Authority for international patent applications filed in accordance with

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