Current Events
Authentication Change for EFS-Web and Private PAIR
EFS-Web and Private PAIR users now have a new, safer, and simpler login. The USPTO is moving from using PKI certificates for two-factor authentication because the PKI software vendor will no longer support the authentication software product after the end of 2018. With this in mind, the USPTO now offers users better security with the new, two-factor authentication method using USPTO.gov accounts. The new method grants access to multiple USPTO systems with one consolidated sign-in and eliminates shared credentials by providing practitioners and their support staff with their own USPTO.gov accounts.
The Migration Tool is available for existing PKI digital certificate holders (registered practitioners and independent inventors) to link their USPTO.gov accounts to their current PKI digital certificates. To successfully migrate, users must already have a USPTO.gov account. If you do not already have one, create a USPTO.gov account and opt-in for two-step authentication. Please follow the step-by-step instructions to migrate and allow 1–2 business days after you finish the migration steps for the process to complete; you can then use your USPTO.gov account to sign in to EFS-Web and Private PAIR. Customer Numbers associated with the PKI certificate will be migrated to the linked USPTO.gov account. PKI certificates can still be used to sign in to EFS-Web and Private PAIR as well.
The Sponsorship Tool is now available for existing registered practitioners to sponsor their support staff to work on their behalf. The support staff individual must have already created a USPTO.gov account and set it to two-step authentication in order to be sponsored by a practitioner. Please follow the step-by-step instructions to sponsor support staff. Once support staff are successfully sponsored, they will be able to sign in using their own USPTO.gov account and select the registered practitioner that they are working on behalf of. Please review the Patent Electronic System Access Document for additional information on authentication, sponsorship, and verification for accessing patent electronic systems.
Please note that there are new URLs for EFS-Web and Private PAIR for signing in using your USPTO.gov account. You will need to update any bookmarks to the new URLs below:
- EFS-Web: https://efs-my.uspto.gov/EFSWebUIRegistered/EFSWebRegistered
- Private PAIR: https://ppair-my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair
We welcome attendees to register for multiple information sessions related to this Authentication Change, because new information will be added as it becomes available.
For additional information, visit Authentication Change for EFS-Web and PAIR.
If you need assistance creating your USPTO.gov account, please call the USPTO Contact Center (UCC) at 800-786-9199. For assistance with migration, please contact the Patent Electronic Business Center at ebc@uspto.gov or 866-217-9197.
Posted at 11:49AM Dec 17, 2018 in Current Status |