Director's Blog

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The latest from USPTO leadership
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A man in a suit and tie sits at a desk on a stage surrounded by a group of adults and two girls as their photo is taken.
10 min read

The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA), the most significant patent legislation of the last 25 years, was enacted in 2011. Today we’re taking a moment to look back at one of the biggest changes the AIA made: the creation of new and efficient proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).

Recent Posts

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A man and a woman stand over a mixing bowl in a kitchen studio, their hands covered in a white, gooey substance.
5 min read

If you’ve ever helped cook a delicious Thanksgiving feast, you know just how much effort goes into the meal. From peeling spuds for a classic side dish, to getting the perfect roast on your chosen bird, to the dreaded clean-up duty after everyone has had their fill of pie, this celebration is made possible by hard work – and generations of inventors. The USPTO and Cade Museum have teamed up to explore Thanksgiving through innovation education.

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Robert Bryant in a yellow polo shirt and khaki shorts with a National Inventors Hall of Fame medal around his next observes a young girl with brown hair, blue shirt, and blue shorts explain her project in a classroom
6 min read

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The USPTO’s focus on inclusive innovation is to help lift up innovators, including the 29% of American adults with disabilities. Through our National Strategy for Inclusive Innovation, among other initiatives, we're working to make USPTO resources more accessible to people with disabilities.

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Then-President Bill Clinton signs an appropriations bill that includes the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act into law, in the Rose Garden on November 29, 1999. Clinton is seated and pictured in the middle of the image, surrounded by police and other officials who are standing. The desk Clinton is using to sign the bill says on the front, 'a strong budget for a strong America.' The photo was taken by David Scull and provided courtesy of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library.
10 min read

The turn of the new millennium was a time of expansive change and great opportunity. With the digital revolution reaching across the globe, the majority of Americans now had a computer in their home. Rapidly developing technologies drove new sectors of innovation, as well as expanding opportunities for businesses small and large alike.

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USPTO technical staff assist employees affected by the IT outage
2 min read

On behalf of the USPTO, I want to express our gratitude for your patience while we work to mitigate the effects of the CrowdStrike IT outage. This event has significantly affected millions of users globally, and thousands within our USPTO workforce.

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Major Kayley Squire, Air Force policy fellow at the USPTO, during her time in the Air Force as an aide-de-camp
5 min read

Major Kayley Squire, an Air Force strategic policy fellow and the USPTO’s outgoing senior military advisor, spoke recently with Public Affairs Specialist Christy Whitaker about Squire’s Air Force fellowship with the USPTO and the role she played in enhancing the agency's military outreach initiative.

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Kathi Vidal sits at the head of a conference table meeting with members of the Patent Public Advisory Committee
12 min read

An efficient and reliable intellectual property (IP) system is critical to innovating, brand building, creating jobs, and solving problems, both here in the United States and around the world. That is why, in addition to our critical policy work—including issuing guidance, engaging in rulemaking, participating in international measures and treaties, providing technical assistance to Congress, and working in the courts—we at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) have been laser-focused on our operations, including, importantly, pendency.