November 01, 2002
#02-68
USPTO Implements Trademark Postal System (TPostal)
USPTO Implements Trademark Postal System (TPostal)
PRESS RELEASE
The Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently implemented a new electronic bulk mailing system in cooperation with the U.S. Postal Service. The Trademark Postal System, or TPostal, uses the Postal Service’s NetPost Mailing Online service to process trademark bulk mail. The USPTO is the first federal agency to take advantage of the faster, more efficient electronic service.
The economic importance of trademarks is more important
today than ever before. Information regarding the status of a
registration must be provided to the owner accurately and
quickly. Working in cooperation with the Postal Service, the
USPTO was able to develop a faster, less expensive fully
automated system to generate and send bulk mail to its
trademark customers. Information is sent to the Postal Service
Web site at
www.usps.com
for printing, stamping, and mailing within 24 hours of receipt.
By using standard postcards rather than windowed letters, the
labor, materials and postage costs are reduced significantly.
“Electronic government is a cornerstone of the
President's Management Agenda. This enhancement to our
trademark processing system is another step closer to our goal
of a fully electronic trademark operation by the end of this
fiscal year,” noted James E. Rogan, Under Secretary of
Commerce for Intellectual Property. “This cooperation
between the USPTO and the Postal Service marks a new era in
interagency cooperation and extending the benefits of
e-commerce to customers.”
“The Postal Service is working very hard to offer products and services that meet the changing needs of all of our customers across the country, whether they are consumers, business owners or government agencies,” said Deputy Postmaster General John M. Nolan. “We are pleased that the Patent and Trademark Office has found our NetPost Mailing Online service so beneficial.”
Last month, electronic filing of trademark applications exceeded paper filing for the first time. Fifty-two percent were filed electronically and 48 percent were filed on paper.
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