The Trademark Organization – What’s Ahead
The Trademark organization will continue
to move aggressively in the next year to implement the objectives of the
21st Century Strategic Plan by completeing the redesign of its operations
to use e-government as the primary means of doing business with applicants
and registrants, and as the sole means for processing work inside the
examining operation.
The Trademark organization has achieved considerable success in implementing
its business process reengineering plan to move from primarily doing business
with paper to doing business in an electronic environment. Completion
of an electronic file management system, in addition to our currently
available electronic filing and information systems, permits:
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Reduction in cycle times by consolidating separate
processes and eliminating the potential for lost or missing papers
that create additional delays and poor service;
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Enhancements in the functionality and number of
electronic filing options; and
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Ability to offer a totally electronic filing and
receiving process to handle applications from U.S. applicants seeking
protection of their mark in foreign countries, and requests for protection
of marks from foreign countries in the United States.
As paper records disappear from internal processes, the cost for handling
applications and related materials, along with the reliance on increasing
numbers of employees or contractors to handle increases in filings, will
continue to decrease. Data quality has improved as data is captured electronically
to support examination and to publish documents and registrations. Electronic
file management presents an opportunity for the USPTO to offer multiple
options for filing that allow applicants to select the method of filing
that best suits their business needs.
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