Not until a new technology is commercialized does it create prosperity and jobs in communities throughout our country. That journey starts with a high-quality patent application.

This year’s competition featured 43 teams from the United States and one from Canada. 

The teams were tasked with drafting a patent application for a hypothetical invention. This year, the invention was an extra-uterine system to physiologically support a premature fetus in a life-sustaining, fluid environment. Each team performed a prior art search and then prepared a specification and claims.

In following the steps in drafting a patent application, all of the teams gained exposure to patent laws and regulations and applied legal principles to issues arising in U.S. patent law. 

Cross-border competition

The NPADC’s roots date back to 2014.

That year, it began as an "international" competition organized by two law schools, one in the U.S. and the other in Canada. The following year, the agency hosted the very first competition, held at the USPTO’s office in Detroit.

What was at the time called the International Patent Drafting Competition was initially a partnership involving the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and the University of Windsor’s law school in Windsor, Ontario. These universities are located very close to each other, on their respective sides of the Canada-U.S. border.

Several years ago, the USPTO launched the NPADC as a "national" contest, in which all of the agency's five regional outreach offices hosted regional events. Since then, several dozen teams have participated annually.

Many of the hundreds of law students from around the U.S., its territories, and Canada who have participated in the competition since its inception in 2014 have gone on to become IP lawyers, working all across America. Many of them practice before the USPTO — and some have even worked at the agency. Currently, a past NPADC finalist from last year is an intern at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) at the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

Regional Rounds

In this year’s NPADC, regional rounds were held on March 1 through the USPTO’s five regional outreach offices (ROO).

The teams presented their arguments for patentability to a panel of judges comprised of experienced patent practitioners.

One winner from each region advanced as a finalist:

• The University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Northeast ROO round)
• The University of Minnesota Law School (Midwest ROO round)
• The University of Wisconsin Law School (Rocky Mountain ROO round)
• Arizona State University-Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Western ROO round)
• The University of St. Thomas School of Law (Southwest ROO round)

Judges

During the final round, each team had 20 minutes to present before a panel consisting of high-profile guest judges.

The jurists were Brad Chin, partner and registered patent attorney at Bracewell; Nicholas T. Matich, the acting general counsel of the USPTO; and Linda Horner, an administrative patent judge at the USPTO’s PTAB. The judges asked the teams various questions to probe the scope and depth of their prior art searches and to explore how the various claim limitations overcame the prior art.

The judges were impressed by the students’ presentations.

“The patent application submissions were impressive,” stated Horner, who is also a PTAB judge. “The teams all did a fantastic job explaining their claim strategies and responding to our questions. The participants and their coaches and schools should be proud of their accomplishments.”

Competition winners

At the conclusion of the contest, Acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart announced the winners.  

The University of Minnesota Law School and their law-student competitors Ola Ayaso, Ross Brink, and Richard Klinger garnered first-place. The second-place winner was the University of St. Thomas School of Law, and the third-place team was the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Reflecting on their experiences with the NPADC, this year’s winners said they considered it to be a highly worthwhile endeavor.

“All the teams did a great job,” Ayaso said following the competition. “Everyone’s hard work and dedication was clear. Each team brought their own strengths and made the competition a fun and memorable experience.”

For Klinger, "the competition was a fantastic experience. We were able to learn and apply real-world drafting skills and defend our strategic decisions to a panel of experienced judges. It was a valuable experience that helped us prepare for a career in patent law.” 

For more on the winning, placing, and finalist teams, please read this recent USPTO announcement. A video replay of the April 4 NPADC event will be posted to the USPTO’s YouTube channel and will include Stewart’s announcement of the winners.

Special thanks

The USPTO extends special appreciation to all of the student participants—and the professors and administrators at their institutions as well as law firm coaches who all provide knowledge and support —for their commitment and efforts. Their dedication and commitment have made the NPADC a remarkable learning experience over the years.

All of the law students who participated in any stage of the NPADC are future guardians of one of our most coveted and important national treasures: our patent and trademark system that protects the IP rights of inventors and creators. Here at the USPTO, we pledge to continue engaging students in the innovation ecosystem to keep the American economy flourishing for generations to come.

If you want to learn more about the NPADC, it’s not too early to start planning a team for next year's competition. Visit the 2025 NPADC’s webpage for more information or email NPADC@uspto.gov with any questions. 

Our incredible Patents team, led by Commissioner Vaishali Udupa, is laser focused on doing its part to foster innovation by reducing the amount of time it takes to evaluate patent applications (pendency) while not sacrificing the thorough review that is central to our mission of providing robust and reliable rights.

The team has created a multiyear plan that's intended to ultimately reduce pendency and inventory to healthier levels, benefiting our stakeholders. While our pendency numbers are likely to increase in the near-term as measures are being implemented and refined, we anticipate these numbers will fall over time to improved levels due to increased examination capacity and process efficiencies.

Focus on first actions

This past fiscal year, one of our Patents team’s top priorities was to develop long-term solutions to reduce pendency and our inventory of unexamined applications. The first focus was increasing the number of first office actions, or the written explanation by a patent examiner that may cite prior art and/or give reasons why the examiner has allowed (approved) and/or rejected the applicant's claims.

One initiative under this approach was the launch of the One for One award, where we encouraged everyone in Patents to join a collective effort to focus on first actions mailed in new, unexamined applications. The output surpassed the high goal that was set. We mailed 255,000 first office actions during the third and fourth quarters of fiscal year (FY) 2024. This was an increase of almost 18,000 first office actions year-over-year. This success reflects the largest number of first actions since FY 2015. 

While we are within statutory deadlines for completing most of our office actions (also known as patent term adjustment – or PTA – compliance) we know we have work to do to ensure all applicants receive timely examination at all stages. 

Pendency Oversight Strategy Team

To oversee further pendency improvements, in June 2024 Commissioner Udupa set up the Pendency Oversight Strategy Team (POST). 

POST's goal is to develop and implement a long-term framework and strategy for sustainable pendency improvements. For example, the team is investing in cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) tools to improve examination search capabilities and also enhancing our classification and routing processes. 

POST is coordinating more than 15 pendency related initiatives that will generate significant gains in reducing pendency over the next five years. You can read about several of these initiatives here, in a recent post to this blog.

Hiring

We're now at an inflection point that requires us to build examination capacity to achieve our long-term pendency goals. 

To that end, we're increasing our corps by hiring and training patent examiners with the technical skills needed to examine applications thoroughly and efficiently. Additionally, we're enhancing and coordinating our systems to increase retention of examiners. Ensuring we have the capacity and talent to handle our growing innovation system is of paramount importance. (For a recent blog post about our examiner hiring efforts, please read this Q&A with Commissioner Udupa.)

We're already building momentum.

In FY 2023, we hired 644 patent examiners, and in FY 2024, we hired 969 – exceeding our own goals. So far in FY 2025, we've onboarded more than 500 new examiners. We intend to continue recruiting and hiring talented examiners in the future, so that our capacity matches the demand of incoming applications and our inventory.

We recently initiated a referral bonus to help us cast a wide net to find talent. We improved our job announcements to attract the best talent. And we're enhancing the new examiner experience by piloting a hybrid training program designed to improve the onboarding experience for new employees as well as increasing retention. The first hybrid training class joined the USPTO on January 13, 2025.

And there's much more to come.

Looking to the future

Our planned emphasis – increasing examination focus on first actions – initially will result in an increase in the volume of first actions we process, particularly first actions on our oldest application inventory.

We're already seeing results. 

First actions increased from about 530,000 units in FY 2023 to nearly 545,000 units in FY 2024. The average number of months from a patent application filing date to when we mailed a first office action was down from 20.5 months in FY 2023 to 19.9 months this past year. 

If we effectively execute our hiring plans, along with other efficiency measures to be implemented, our first actions may increase to as high as 585,000 units in FY 2025. 

We expect this may cause a short-term decrease in overall PTA compliance for mailed actions (as older inventory first actions mailed will show as decreased compliance for a period of time). But examination output will increase each year and improvements in PTA compliance will follow. We anticipate this will reduce unexamined inventory from 800,000 units in FY 2024 to about 650,000 units by FY 2028, assuming application filings are as projected. 

We closed FY 2024 with significant accomplishments that establish a foundation to improve our pendency in a sustainable way. This, alongside our focus on examination quality, will ensure the USPTO continues our unwavering commitment to fostering American innovation, competitiveness, and job growth by providing robust and reliable intellectual property rights. 

Modernizing our systems has been a key focus at the USPTO, and it’s one of the goals of our 2022-26 strategic plan to ensure all trademark applicants and owners have the best experience possible when doing business with our agency. One way we're doing this is through our open beta rollout of Trademark Center, which was launched this past summer. You can now draft and file your trademark application in this new system at trademarkcenter.uspto.gov, and we’ve recently added some exciting new features. Over the next few years, it will become the single platform for not only your trademark registration needs but searching and other trademark services.  

We appreciate that change is not easy for those who are used to the familiarity of legacy tools such as our TEAS. We've designed Trademark Center to provide you with an easier, more convenient experience.  

Years of customer feedback and survey data gave us a clear picture of your experiences with TEAS, and we used those insights to develop a prototype. As it took shape, we began iterative user testing, refining the design each time. Throughout the development process, we completed many rounds of customer experience testing with attorneys, paralegals, entrepreneurs, and business owners before releasing the beta to the public, and we are continuing this effort.

The new features in Trademark Center aim to improve your filing experience and increase the data quality in applications to support a more efficient examination process. This is one important aspect in our plan to reduce pendency, which we recently wrote about in the Director’s blog. 

Although some practitioner-focused features weren’t included with the initial beta launch, they’ve always been a top priority. We released the beta with core application functionality to put it in the hands of the public as soon as possible. Now that we’ve added features such as custom views and tools for instant collaboration between attorneys and their sponsored support staff, I hope all of our customers can enjoy its benefits and continue sharing ideas for improvement.  

We're eager to hear more about what your needs are so we can make Trademark Center work even better for you. Visit our Trademark Center webpage to learn more about the system and upcoming training opportunities.

We invite you to sign up as a volunteer for future research opportunities as we work to improve the trademark filing experience.

Your voice matters — whether you’re submitting your first trademark application, or you’re a seasoned practitioner. We’re excited to collaborate with you as we continue developing this system.

At the USPTO, patent quality is built into Goal 2 of our 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, which focuses on promoting the efficient delivery of reliable IP rights. Achieving Goal 2 means meeting both the increased demand for utility and design patents and maintaining the quality standards that make U.S. patents the gold standard in the global IP system. For more on the USPTO’s comprehensive approach to addressing patent application pendency and reducing the backlog, which are key to accomplishing Goal 2, see my recent blog on pendency.

Now, I want to lay out our system of checks and balances related to patent quality. 

From seeking public feedback, to weighing in with the courts, to providing technical advice to Congress and, most importantly, to prioritizing our internal operations and policies, the USPTO dedicates significant resources to improving the robustness and reliability of patents.

Hiring, onboarding, and retaining examiners

Quality begins with our 9,000-plus patent examiners. 

We must and do hire and retain the most talented engineers, technology experts, and scientists. And we must hire substantially more examiners so that, going forward, we can address our backlog and new applications with the same focus we offer today, while continuing to use training, technology, and resources to improve quality. 

For fiscal year (FY) 2024, we removed all caps on hiring. We started with a goal of hiring 800 examiners and came in at 969. To increase the numbers, we branched out into new markets and schools. We kept our quality standards high and chose those 969 examiners from over 16,000 who applied. For FY 2025, we aim to hire more than 1,600 new examiners.

But we know that just hiring new examiners is not enough. That’s why we are equally focused on retaining the great examiners we already have. When I came on board at the USPTO in 2022, one of the first things I did was to listen to examiners about their experiences and what more we could do to support them to do their best for American inventors. After hearing from over 2,000 of my colleagues, three issues rose to the surface:

1. Working hours
2. Routing and classification
3. Pay  

Before new examiners begin their first day, we gather them for our new “Accepted Day,” to keep them engaged and connect them with a cohort of their peers. They hear from me directly about how important they will be to the agency, our mission, and our country, and they have a chance to connect with our examining corps and learn about other resources to ensure their success. New examiners then receive extensive training. 

Beginning on their first day, utility patent examiners undergo four months of comprehensive, full-time onboarding followed by eight months of a post-onboarding, on-demand curriculum and mentorship from experienced examiners. New design examiners receive six weeks of intensive, full-time onboarding starting on day 1, and they are then paired with an experienced trainer for continued post-onboarding coaching.

In total, our 2024 cohort of examiners received over 590,000 hours of formalized training during their first year on the job. For our 2025 cohort, we will pilot a hybrid patent training academy for new examiners to enhance connections and amplify current training programs.

Continual process improvement

We are continually listening to examiners on what more we can do to improve quality. 

As part of this work, we launched our first-ever Research and Development (R&D) Unit in 2023. We are currently testing ideas to:

1. Create a stronger and clearer prosecution history, including evaluating procedures for ensuring added subject matter is supported by the specification 
2. Provide more specificity where it matters when it comes to interview summaries 

The R&D Unit will not only let us hone those ideas, but will facilitate our work with our Patents union, the Patent Office Professionals Association, to negotiate permanent solutions that are mission-driven and people-focused.

Tools and support

It's critical that our examiners have the best tools and support for their work – from form paragraphs that allow examiners to focus on substantive examination, to substantive guidance, to the promotion of more collaboration among examiners, especially when a patent application touches on innovation from different technology centers. 

We must provide examiners the best tools to efficiently identify the best prior art. All patent examiners use the Patents End-to-End (PE2E) Search suite, and more than half regularly use PE2E’s artificial intelligence (AI) search features, including “More Like This Document” and “Similarity Search.” Since September 2022, examiners have run more than 1.5 million PE2E queries using these AI-powered features. 

We also have processes through which examiners can learn from prior art identified in foreign applications or art identified during Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) challenges in related applications. And we are currently working to investigate other uses of AI to improve the prior art search and other functions in patent examination.

We're continually reviewing and updating guidance and our Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. We're providing training to our examiners to ensure they're acting in accordance with the latest laws and court rulings and that patent practitioners and owners have transparency and confidence in the examining process. 

A recent example is that, within a day of the en banc Federal Circuit decision in LKQ Corp. v. GM Global Technology Operations LLC, No. 2021-2348 (Fed. Cir. May 21, 2024), we issued a memorandum to provide updated guidance and examination instructions on evaluating obviousness in design patent applications and design patents. This past July, in response to input to our request for comments on subject matter eligibility in critical and emerging technologies, including AI, we issued our 2024 Guidance Update on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility, Including on Artificial Intelligence. And in response to feedback on inventorship for AI-assisted inventions, we issued inventorship guidance.

Continuous examiner training

In addition to training on new cases and guidance, examiners receive continuous training throughout their careers to stay current on trends in technology and changes in U.S. IP policy.

In FY 2024, the Training for Experienced Examiners program provided 20,000 hours of training across 50 topic areas mostly focused on practice and procedure. An additional 39,455 hours of training were provided on 49 topic areas identified by examiners and developed through the Patent Training Council.

We also worked with stakeholder groups like the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Intellectual Property Owners Association to share the stories of patent owners’ experiences to show our examiners the impact of their work. 
 

The Patent Examiner Technical Training Program provided 47,000 hours of live training to examiners from leading scientists, engineers, professors, industrial designers, and other technology experts from major companies and universities. And we provided an additional 9,253 hours through Tech Training on Demand opportunities.

Our Site Experience Education Program provides direct engagement for patent examiners through field visits to labs, studios, and offices where scientists, designers, and engineers are making innovation. 

We also regularly meet directly with stakeholders through our Patents Customer Partnership Meetings to share ideas, experiences, and insights and to discuss examination policies and procedures, and solutions for improvement.  

And we have targeted training programs and partnerships to ensure examiners stay current on the latest emerging technologies. For example, given the rise in patents on AI machine learning functions, the USPTO has:

1. Partnered with Carnegie Mellon University to create a 21-course curriculum covering everything from the foundations of AI to its application in tools. Examiners say, “This training series tickles my mind about AI and makes me want to do additional research to understand the concepts even better,” and “For the first time ever, I feel like I can actually understand the language of AI.”
2. Launched an AI learning portal as a central point for AI training resources for all USPTO employees across different roles and organizational contexts. 
3. Held the inaugural event in our AI and Emerging Technologies Premier Lecture Series. The first lecture featured Mark Papermaster, the chief technology officer and executive vice president of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Papermaster spoke on the transformative power of AI and explored important considerations such as power consumption, data privacy and protection, and responsible AI.

Quality assessment and action

Within our Patents business unit, there's a multi-tiered system of continuous quality assessments to hold examiners accountable. 

The first tier is at the art unit level, where quality is included as a critical element of every patent examiner’s performance evaluation, with supervisory patent examiners (SPEs) formally reviewing the quality of all examiners’ work quarterly. Additionally, SPEs and primary examiners provide ongoing coaching and feedback to junior examiners throughout the year.

The second tier is at the Technology Center (TC) level. Each TC has a team of quality assurance specialists who track quality trends and deliver targeted training to art units and workgroups in areas identified for improvement or as a regular refresher.

For the third tier, multiple teams are dedicated to ensuring the USPTO issues robust and reliable patents. The Office of Patent Quality Assurance (OPQA) supports our foundational efforts to measure and bolster patent reliability and consistency; it also tracks our publicly available key performance indicators. The OPQA regularly surveys our customers to gather direct feedback on the perception of the quality of examination and to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. 

How are we doing?

Our quality metrics show that patent quality is increasing, alongside an increase in customer satisfaction.

In FY 2024, we exceeded compliance targets with the four patentability statutes under title 35 of the U.S. Code: 

1. Section (§) 101 - Subject matter eligibility 
2. § 102 - Novelty
3. § 103 - Non-obviousness 
4. § 112 - Specification 

The number of Office actions containing rejections and found by the OPQA to have a noncompliance issue has decreased by 25% since 2020. And in the last five years, there has been a 30% decrease in findings of noncompliance across all types of actions.

In FY 2024, more than 6,000 randomly selected frequent customers were invited to participate in a semi-annual quality survey. These patent agents, attorneys, and inventors received over 100,000 Office actions during the survey time frame. More information on how these stakeholders were selected to provide their feedback is available on our quality metrics webpage. 

Of the surveyed customers:

1. 61% rated patent quality as good or excellent (among the highest rankings since such surveys began in 2006). 
2. 83% said the employees they worked with at a Patents Contact Center were helpful. This exceeded targeted performance levels.

How can you help?

Patent quality is not a static goal. We're always looking for ways to increase public awareness of the importance of patent quality and the USPTO’s holistic efforts. Members of the patent community also have a role to play with respect to quality. 

We view patent quality as a shared responsibility. We're evaluating opportunities to collaborate on patent quality with our diverse stakeholders, including independent inventors, small businesses, industry, and bar organizations. There are also many existing avenues for you to help us ensure we maintain our high standards of quality. 

As a patent applicant, we offer many resources to help you submit strong applications, setting the foundation for a high-quality patent. For example, our implementation of DOCX application filing is part of our effort to modernize and streamline our patent application systems, and it also supports patent application quality by offering pre-submission content validation, which can help reduce conversion errors, among other benefits. More than 90% of current filings are submitted through DOCX and can take advantage of these benefits.

We’ve worked to improve the customer experience when filing for a patent, starting with the issuance of a welcome letter from Deputy Director Derrick Brent and me, explaining all the ways to get assistance. We also recently launched a pilot program to study the benefits of sending certain applicants a follow up letter after they receive the first Office action. This letter further explains the application process and outlines additional resources and assistance relevant to that stage. And the USPTO has rolled out, expanded, or extended several other pilot programs for patent applicants, including a pre-application assessment for eligible first-time patent applicants. This is all in addition to long-standing support from the USPTO, such as our Patent Pro-Bono Program that provides no-cost legal assistance to those who qualify.

While the USPTO is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, we have partnerships with libraries across the nation through our Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) program. PTRCs provide trainings throughout the year, held online and in person, to help future applicants submit the best possible patent applications and documents.

If you are a stakeholder, innovator, scientist, designer, or engineer, you can collaborate with us on some of the training I mentioned above. Learn more in my blog post on opportunities to participate.

You can also get involved in the advisory process by attending a quarterly meeting of our Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC), which, among other actions, reviews and makes recommendations to the USPTO on policies, budgets, and patent fees. Or you can attend a Patents Customer Partnership Meeting, which provides you with opportunities to meet with USPTO representatives in a collaborative environment.

The USPTO team members are here to answer your questions about the entire process. Call or email the staff (via our Contact Us webpage) on informal matters, respond formally to official letters such as Office actions, and contact the Patents Ombuds Office for further assistance.

Are we done?

The short answer is no. We will never be done with our work to improve the robustness and reliability of granted patents. In an increasingly interconnected global economy and with the advent of emerging technology such as AI, there will always be new opportunities and threats that can affect the quality of patents.

But a robust and reliable patent system ensures that important innovative breakthroughs and achievements reach American households. It encourages innovators and potential investors to dedicate human and financial resources to technological advances that improve the quality of daily life and expand the storehouse of American know-how for future generations. Through rigorous assessment standards and innovation of our own, the USPTO will continue to ensure that the innovation that fuels our economy, creates jobs, and solves world problems will remain protected.

If you have suggestions for further improvements, please email me at Director@uspto.gov.
 

In these AIA proceedings, the PTAB, when requested by a petitioner, is tasked with addressing questions of patentability. Although not a requirement to file a petition, in the majority of cases, the petitioner has been sued by the patent owner in district court for infringement of a patent and is requesting that the PTAB address the patentability of the asserted patent claims.

The PTAB judges, who are impartial experts in both the law and the specific area of technology in question, are uniquely well-suited to address questions of patentability under the standards set forth by Congress. They hold themselves to the highest standards in all they do.

Ensuring strong IP rights

The PTAB hears cases challenging the validity of claims in granted patents (called “AIA proceedings”) or appealing the rejection by an examiner of an application for a patent (called “ex parte appeals”). (1)

The most common AIA proceedings are inter partes review (IPR) proceedings, which are initiated when a member of the public, known as the petitioner, files a petition challenging certain claims in the patent selected by the petitioner. (2) Judges decide cases on the merits through objective review of the evidence and arguments and in accordance with the requirements in the law enacted by Congress and the president.

Where a petitioner’s evidence and arguments fall short, the PTAB judges maintain the validity of the challenged patent rights. Where the petitioner’s evidence and arguments demonstrate that the challenged patent lacks novelty or is obvious, the PTAB is required to invalidate claims that, if left standing, can weaken the strength and reliability of the patent system.

In the 13 years since AIA proceedings were created, USPTO leadership has worked, within the bounds of our authority in the law, to minimize any procedures that might be manipulated to unfairly burden patent owners, including abusive practices or multiple attacks on the same patent claims (3), while still performing the important role of policing overbroad patent claims that could exact a toll on the public, as the AIA intended.

By the numbers

In the universe of patents in force, only a small fraction of patents are challenged before the PTAB. (4)

Since AIA proceedings began over a decade ago, almost 70% of challenged patents have been upheld at the PTAB. (5)

For instance, of the 1,037 patents involved in an AIA proceeding that concluded in fiscal year 2024, 349 patents (34%) lost one or more claims in a final written decision, and 141 patents (14%) lost all claims. (6) Although most IPR proceedings (approximately 80%) involve a challenge of a patent also at issue in co-pending district court litigation, the reverse isn’t true. Third-party data indicates that only 20-30% of patents asserted in district court are challenged in AIA petitions at PTAB, meaning that sued defendants are strategic in what they do. (7)

Important changes over the years

Implementing the AIA provisions, including the development of rules and proceedings for the PTAB, is a critical and continuous responsibility. Lessons learned and stakeholders’ feedback have led to positive changes in the PTAB’s practices and procedures. The USPTO in the last 13 years has:

• Revised its rules to change the standard used by the PTAB to construe patent claims to align it with the district courts. (8)
• Implemented policies to curb multiple AIA petitions that might have the effect of harassing patent owners. (9)
• Implemented a policy to avoid duplicative parallel proceedings in district courts and the PTAB and issued clarifications to this policy in 2022 to ensure its consistent application. (10)
• Implemented a program to allow patent owners to request preliminary guidance from the PTAB in response to a motion to amend and to allow patent owners the option to file one additional revised motion to amend in an AIA proceeding. (11)
• Implemented the Director Review process that allows parties involved in inter partes proceedings to seek review of AIA decisions, including institution decisions, by the Director. (12)
• Created a process to allow individuals to nominate any routine PTAB decision for designation as precedential or informative, or to nominate for de-designation any PTAB decision that was previously designated as precedential or informative. (13)

Engaging and educating practitioners and the public

Equally as important as the AIA’s policy changes are its emphasis on expanding the innovation ecosystem. To meet this intent of the law, the USPTO has expanded outreach to the public and provided resources for parties who appear before the PTAB.

The USTPO hosts two regular, no-cost, virtual programs:

• Bi-monthly “Boardside Chats” to address best practices and answer questions raised by attendees.
• Monthly “Inventor Hour” webinars covering PTAB proceeding basics, oral hearing protocols, statistics, and other useful information for independent inventors and those new to the PTAB.

In collaboration with the PTAB Bar Association, the USPTO created the PTAB Pro Bono Program to match volunteer patent professionals with financially under-resourced inventors, inventor groups, and inventor-owned small businesses to provide no-cost legal assistance in ex parte appeals. As part of our commitment to fostering a strong and vital patent system, the USPTO has developed multiple opportunities for early career legal professionals to gain experience practicing before the PTAB:

• Legal Experience and Advancement Program (LEAP) to provide training and oral advocacy opportunities before the PTAB for less-experienced attorneys.
• Moot Court Competition to provide law students a structured opportunity to learn and practice advocacy skills in AIA trial proceedings.
• Judicial Law Clerkship for recent law school graduates and newer attorneys to gain firsthand exposure to PTAB proceedings and assist PTAB judges in the decision-making process.
• Appeal Roadshows to meet practitioners, inventors, and members of the public in cities across the country for education about ex parte appeals.
• “Stadium Tours” in collaboration with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to bring actual proceedings to law schools nationwide to increase accessibility.
• And most recently, a new Education Clinic, staffed by volunteer former PTAB judges, to help guide and educate members of the public—from independent inventors to small businesses to large corporations—on all PTAB proceedings. These volunteer former judges are all members of the Association of American Patent Judges.

In addition to these initiatives, the USPTO has recently expanded access to practice before the PTAB by modifying the rules regarding representation by counsel in AIA proceedings. This allows parties to proceed without backup counsel upon a showing of good cause, such as a lack of financial resources to hire both lead and backup counsel. The rules also establish a streamlined alternative procedure for recognizing counsel pro hac vice (when a court grants a lawyer limited license to practice in a jurisdiction where they otherwise would not be licensed to do so). (14)

The USPTO also regularly engages with judges in other jurisdictions to share information and learn more about how they handle patent disputes. Over the past two years, PTAB judges have participated in discussions with federal district court and appellate judges about PTAB processes, claim construction, and the interplay between parallel proceedings in multiple jurisdictions. We also have engaged in discussions with judges at the U.S. International Trade Commission, as well as our international peer tribunals in the IP5 forum of the world’s five largest patent offices, to compare and contrast our respective proceedings.

The USPTO also ensures that feedback and input from the PTAB proceedings are used to improve examination of related patent applications. For example, patent examiners are made aware of petitions and outcomes in AIA proceedings so that the evidence and the PTAB’s findings can be considered in ongoing prosecution of related patent applications.

We will continue to refine, as needed, AIA processes at the USPTO to ensure that these proceedings remain fair and transparent and that they benefit all parties who appear before the PTAB, the patent system at large, and America’s innovation economy.

1. The PTAB also hears ex parte appeals from the rejection of claims in reexamination proceedings and reissue applications, which involve claims in an issued patent.
2. A petitioner can be anyone except the patent owner or the U.S. government.
3. For example, to curb multiple AIA petitions that might have the effect of harassing patent owners and might affect what some have termed “quiet title,” the USPTO issued guidance and decisions that identify information PTAB will consider when determining whether to deny institution of an AIA trial when a petitioner files more than one petition. See, e.g., General Plastic Indus. Co. v. Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, IPR2016-01357, Paper 19 (PTAB September 6, 2017) (designated precedential October 18, 2017); Valve Corp. v. Elec. Scripting Prods., Inc., IPR2019-00062, Paper 11 (April 2, 2019) (designated precedential May 7, 2019) (Valve I); Valve Corp. v. Elec. Scripting Prods., Inc., IPR2019-00064, Paper 10 (May 1, 2019) (designated precedential August 2, 2019) (Valve II); Apple Inc. v. Uniloc 2017 LLC, IPR2020-00854, Paper 9 (October 28, 2020) (designated precedential December 4, 2020); PTAB’s Consolidated Trial Practice Guide (November 2019), pp. 59-61. After the USPTO issued such guidance, petitioners have filed fewer multiple petitions, and PTAB has instituted fewer AIA trials based on such petitions, and only under certain rare circumstances. See Multiple Petition Study FY 2021-2022 Executive Summary (uspto.gov).
4. See PTAB AIA FY2024 roundup (uspto.gov), slide 14.
5. Id. at slide 15.
6. Id. at slide 14.
7. See RPX report (June 1, 2023) (stating that “district court litigation has remained a key driver of PTAB proceedings, as 79% of the patents challenged in IPR petitions (out of a total of around 8,860 patents) were first asserted in district court” and also “[o]f the roughly 25,010 patents that have been the subject of complaints filed in district court from September 16, 2011, through May 26, 2022, just under 7,020 of those patents, or 28%, have been hit with subsequent petitions for IPR. . . . Put another way, nearly three quarters of the patents asserted in district court cases (72%) do not see a subsequent IPR petition”); RPX report (September 16, 2020) (“Of the roughly 19,500 patents that have been litigated in district court since IPR became available, just over 4,330 of those patents, or 22%, have been hit with petitions for inter partes review (IPR), the most common PTAB proceeding by far. Put another way, the vast majority (~80%) of patents asserted in district court cases do not see a subsequent IPR petition.”); see also Saurabh Vishnubhakat et al., Strategic Decision Making in Dual PTAB and District Court Proceedings, 31 BERKELEY TECH. L.J. 45 (2016) (indicating that from September 16, 2012 through June 30, 2015, 12.7% of litigated patents were challenged in PTAB but 86.8% of PTAB proceedings were concurrent with district court); Christian Helmers et al., Patent Validity and Litigation: Evidence from U.S. Inter Partes Review (July 20, 2022), 66 J.L. & ECON. 53 (2023) at 10 n.13 (indicating that from 2012-2017, 18% of patent cases litigated in district court had a parallel IPR in PTAB).
8. 37 CFR §§ 42.100(b), 42.200(b); Changes to the Claim Construction Standard for Interpreting Claims in Trial Proceedings Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, 83 FR 51340 (October 11, 2018).
9. See supra n.3.
10. See, e.g., CommScope Techs. LLC v. Dali Wireless, Inc., IPR2022-01242, Paper 23 (February 27, 2023) (designated precedential Feb. 27, 2023); NXP USA, Inc. v. Impinj, Inc., IPR2021-01556, Paper 13 (September 7, 2022) (designated precedential September 7, 2022); Sotera Wireless, Inc. v. Masimo Corp., IPR2020-01019, Paper 12 (December 1, 2020) (designated precedential December 17, 2020); Snap, Inc. v. SRK Tech. LLC, IPR2020-00820, Paper 15 (October 21, 2020) (designated precedential December 17, 2020); Apple Inc. v. Fintiv, Inc., IPR2020-00019, Paper 11 (March 20, 2020) (designated precedential May 5, 2020); NHK Spring Co. v. Intri-Plex Techs., Inc., IPR2018-00752, Paper 8 (September 12, 2018) (designated precedential May 7, 2019); Director Guidance Memorandum, Interim Procedure for Discretionary Denials in AIA Post-Grant Proceeding With Parallel District Court Litigation (June 21, 2022).
11. Notice Regarding a New Pilot Program Concerning Motion to Amend Practice and Procedures in Trial Proceedings Under the America Invents Act Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, 84 FR 9497 (March 15, 2019); Rules Governing Motion To Amend Practice and Procedures in Trial Proceedings Under the America Invents Act Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, 89 FR 76421 (September 18, 2024).
12. Rules Governing Director Review of Patent Trial and Appeal Board Decisions, 89 FR 79744 (October 1, 2024).
13. Submission form for Nomination for Designation or De-Designation of PTAB Decisions.
14. Expanding Opportunities To Appear Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, 89 FR 82172 (October 10, 2024).

Creative minds throughout American history have designed some of the basic kitchen products we use every day that make cooking so much easier. From the pop-up timer that measures the temperatures of our turkeys to the ovens we cook them in, we give thanks to these inventors. That's why, in these new, do-it-yourself videos with our friends at the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention in Gainesville, Florida, we're inviting you to learn about intellectual property (IP) in the kitchen. 

Inventors make life easier in ways big and small, and mealtime is no exception. In food production, preservation, and safe cooking practices, Americans use patented technology in the kitchen every day. The potato peeler, vegetable shortening, and storage containers used for leftovers are just a few examples of commonly used innovations with technology protected by patents. Patents provide protection throughout the food chain by giving the inventors of unique products the exclusive rights over their inventions for a period of time so they can potentially license its use in the market, where it’s purchased by consumers (and aspiring cooks) like you. 

The USPTO is teaming up with the Cade Museum on invention education activities participants can enjoy from their kitchens. This series of videos – starting with one on November 6 and with the newest video debuting today – show with hands-on lessons how major technological advances of past innovators are still used today.  

In four videos, participants will get a tour of making a Thanksgiving meal through the lens of science and IP. Families will learn about some historic examples of mealtime innovation while inspiring the next generation of innovators to think creatively, solve problems, and make something new out of common household items. 

Using cooking and kitchen implements as examples, these videos demonstrate that some of the more unexpected things in our lives all have patents and protected IP behind them. That’s where the USPTO comes in, helping inventors safeguard their valuable ideas through patents and trademarks, incentivizing future innovation.

“The kitchen is the perfect place to practice Inventivity®,” says Patty Lipka, director of experiential education at the Cade Museum, and a co-star of this series. “We hope that this series inspires families across the country to get curious about the inventions around them and recognize that creativity and inventiveness live inside us all.”

Videos will be released on Wednesdays throughout the month of November, so families can purchase supplies before the weekend. Learners of all ages are encouraged to get their hands dirty and explore scientific concepts like melting points and non-Newtonian fluids. Young innovators will learn about viscosity while making Oobleck, a sticky substance whose primary ingredient is cornstarch. Educators will unlock the science behind a pop-up turkey timer and help young musicians make a kazoo out of wax paper. Families will explore the concept of hydrophobic substances while making play clay out of a favorite dessert ingredient: cocoa. 

“Science, invention, and IP are all around us every day, and anyone can be an inventor,” says Reggie Duncan, a USPTO education program specialist and past recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. “I love how these videos can unlock the wonderful world of invention for kids of all ages with materials from around the home, a sprinkle of curiosity, and a dash or two of fun!”  

This culinary campaign also pays homage to some of the inventors who made our modern Thanksgiving meals possible.

In 1868, Martha Jones of Amelia County, Virginia, received a patent for a corn husker that was capable of “husking, shelling, cutting up the basics, and separating them from the grain in one operation.” One of the first known African American women to receive a U.S. patent, her machine made preparing one of the most commonly used vegetables more convenient.  

Three decades later, Alfred Cralle invented the one-handed ice cream scoop while working as a porter in a Pittsburgh hotel. Cralle noticed that servers had difficulty scooping ice cream; it required two hands and at least two serving utensils. Cralle’s solution, a mechanical scoop with a built-in scraper, made it possible to do the job one-handed. If you like your pie a la mode, thank Alfred Cralle!

Inventors even made meal clean-up and storage easier. In 1886, Josephine Cochrane received a patent for the first commercially viable dishwashing machine. After growing frustrated with her fancy dinnerware getting chipped during hand-washing, she determined, “If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I'll do it myself.”  

Whether you’re making a quick lunch or an elaborate holiday spread, Jones, Cralle, Cochrane, and thousands of other inventors have improved our experiences in the kitchen. We hope that introducing invention education to kids early on will spark the next great culinary discovery.

These free educational videos, including a list of ingredients and instructions, will be posted on the USPTO’s YouTube channel every Wednesday throughout November. Check out the playlist and subscribe. 

Thank you to all of our inventors, past, present, and future. We wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.

Dr. Cooper has dedicated his career to lifting up people of all abilities. He is a distinguished professor at the University of Pittsburgh and a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) senior scientist. He co-founded an initiative with his university and the VA called the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL). At HERL, he leads a team of fellow inventors who have received 25 U.S. patents related to wheelchairs, robots, and wearable instruments.  

Dr. Cooper’s athletic pursuits and military career were impacted when he was involved in a bicycle accident that left him paralyzed. Despite his injuries, Dr. Cooper’s creative spirit remains strong. “The wheelchair I use, the adaptive vehicle I use, the home modifications I use, they all allow me to be productive and creative and contribute to society,” he says. “What’s important is to create a world where everyone belongs and everyone can contribute.”  

Whether in his lab in Pittsburgh or as part of his public speaking and mentorship around the world, Dr. Cooper’s story has inspired countless others to pursue their own innovations.

Another inspiring innovator is Dr. Robert Bryant, who sees innovation in a unique way, in part due to his visual disability. Dr. Bryant was born with oculocutaneous albinism type 2, which results in monocular vision. To describe what it’s like, Dr. Bryant shared that “for [him], the world is like going to a movie theater,” because it’s like he “looks at the world, [but is] not in the world.” He experienced challenges from a very early age. To this day, important tasks, like reading, take extra effort.

Dr. Bryant is a problem solver and holds 30 patents. His ability to see opportunities missed by others led him to develop a thin electrical-insulation material known as the Langley Research Center-Soluble Imide (LaRC-SI) polymer. Because he knew the polymer had value, Dr. Bryant kept working with it after it wasn’t chosen for the original aerospace project for which it was created. He also wanted his work and its funding to benefit the public, and not be forgotten.  

One of the valuable properties associated with the LaRc-SI polymer is that it’s biologically inert, meaning the human body doesn’t attack it. This unique trait led Dr. Bryant to pivot his work, instead focusing on medical applications. The polymer now extends the life of pacemakers implanted in humans, helping hundreds of thousands of people worldwide avoid having to undergo additional surgeries to replace their existing devices. 

Dr. Bryant is one of many inventors whose belief in themselves, science, and societal progress spurred them to invent miraculous products to solve for the needs of people with many types of disabilities. We invite you to interact with and learn from our stories on the successes of these notable innovators. These individuals have worked tirelessly to knock down barriers for others by blazing trails with their patented technological advances:

• The late Ralph Teetor, blinded by a childhood accident, honed his other senses to create numerous innovations related to the automobile industry, including the first cruise control device.
• Chieko Asakawa, who was blinded in a swimming pool accident as a teenager, creates accessible products for visually impaired people.  
• Temple Grandin, who couldn’t speak for the first several years of her life, became a well-known inventor, author, and advocate for treating livestock humanely.
• William J. Warner, who suffered a spinal cord injury as a teenager, is an Oscar-winning inventor who created digital editing software and mobility applications.

Our country succeeds when everyone with dreams of innovation has an equal chance to show the world what they can do. Working together with other agencies and leaders in the private sector, we’re striving to make those dreams a reality for all.

At the USPTO, we are working to bolster the diversity of our workforce, in part through hiring employees with all abilities. More than 8% of the USPTO workforce identifies as an individual with a disability. If you’d like to learn more about career opportunities at our agency, please visit the Join Us page on our website.

If you know of innovators of any ability we should highlight through our Journeys of Innovation storytelling series and other channels, please email us at inventorstories@uspto.gov. We look forward to hearing from you!

More Americans sought to protect their inventions and brands than ever before. In the 1990s, the USPTO saw an exponential increase in both patent and trademark applications, the beginnings of a trend that continues to this day. In response, America’s Innovation Agency took steps to better serve the nation’s innovators. Our agency moved swiftly toward electronic filing for both patent and trademark applicants. We piloted a pioneering work-from-home program. And two new Public Advisory Committees (PACs) took on a vital responsibility – representing the interests of inventors and entrepreneurs across the country. 

On November 29, 1999, President Bill Clinton signed the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act into law. Among other matters, this intellectual property (IP) legislation established the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) and the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC). Each made up of nine voting members, the PACs were tasked with reviewing the USPTO’s policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees, and advising the Director on the best way to move the agency forward. The members themselves were and are steeped in the diverse and rapidly changing IP community, with representatives from small businesses, universities, large corporations, and emerging technologies. Their voices have offered valuable insight and driven change within the agency for over two decades. 

Looking back on 25 years, we celebrate a quarter-century of the USPTO’s PACs by asking some key figures to share their accounts on the important impact the PACs have had on their work. (Some accounts have been edited for brevity.)

Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO 

“Happy 25^th anniversary to our Public Advisory Committees and to everyone who has served the USPTO on the PACs over the years! You have helped lift IP within our communities, country, and the world, and shape policies to support our people, our stakeholders, and robust and reliable IP. With your guidance, we have become stronger and more agile. Alongside you, our workforce, our unions, and our stakeholders, we are moving the needle for innovation and entrepreneurship, solving community and world problems, and fostering economic and national security. Thank you for all you’ve done and will continue to do to move our country forward.”

Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chair, Senate Judiciary IP Subcommittee 

“Congratulations to PPAC and TPAC on 25 years of service to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the American public!  The PACs plays a crucial role in shaping U.S. IP policies by engaging with inventors, entrepreneurs, businesses, legal experts, and the public.  I wish the PACs continued success in helping to shape our IP policy and I look forward to reviewing this year’s annual reports for their valuable insights and recommendations.”

Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary IP Subcommittee 

“I want to congratulate the PPAC and TPAC for 25 years of public service and to especially acknowledge and thank those who have served on these Committees over its many years. Intellectual property is central to the success of the U.S. economic engine and IP is what makes the U.S. the global leader in innovation. Therefore, we must strive to not only protect IP rights but to also improve these rights so as to make sure that they keep pace with emerging technologies. Both the PPAC and TPAC play an important role in this.” 

Vaishali Udupa, Commissioner for Patents

“Happy anniversary to the PPAC committee! The 25-year partnership between the USPTO and PPAC is invaluable to our agency. The PPAC’s guidance and insights on a number of issues, including patent quality and our pendency reduction initiatives, are critical contributions to ensure our actions are informed by these key leaders from the public. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in the years to come. Thank you PPAC members for your hard work and service on the committee.”

David Gooder, Commissioner for Trademarks

“On behalf of the entire Trademarks organization at the USPTO, I congratulate TPAC, and its members – past and present – on the 25th anniversary of the founding of this highly distinguished group of trademark advisors. During my term as Commissioner, the TPAC has helped the trademark office make critical decisions as we navigated a long list of defining challenges, such as the pandemic, our reduction in the resultingly high application pendency, our actions to fight against trademark fraud and scams, our work modernizing 40-year-old IT systems, and the myriad of policy decisions required to launch the Trademark Modernization Act. We at the USPTO, together with brand owners and the entire trademark community, are all stronger for your dedicated service and for that, we thank you sincerely. Happy 25th anniversary, TPAC!

Kathleen Duda, President, POPA

“The Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) has been an important link between the public and the agency, allowing input to the agency that it might not otherwise receive. The Patent Office Professional Association (POPA) appreciates the work of the PPAC and their interaction with the agency and the union.”

Harold Ross, President, National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) 243

“As Vince Lombardi said, ‘The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.’ NTEU 243 appreciates the efforts of each individual on the PACs, and congratulates their achievements. I wish both PACs a happy 25th anniversary.”

Jay Besch, President, NTEU 245

“The Trademark Public Advisory Committee is truly a forum for the public, the agency, and its employees to share information, interests, and perspectives.  Our union has been a proud member since it began, and we have seen how valuable working together through this forum has been to promote understanding and reach solutions that are beneficial to all.  We look forward to our continued participation.”

PPAC members

Loletta “Lolita” Darden (Chair)

“Intellectual property creation and protection are essential to increasing U.S. competitiveness, job growth, and economic stability. PPAC has provided me the opportunity to advocate for programs that increase awareness among the general public regarding patent protection and procedures and for patent protection systems that address the needs of the solo inventors and small and medium-sized enterprises. Over the past 2 years, as a member of PPAC I have had the opportunity to work closely with Director Vidal on these issues.”

Henry Hadad

“I am privileged to serve on the PPAC, which reviews and provides input on proposed USPTO policies, goals, performance, and budget. The PPAC represents a wide range of USPTO stakeholders that care deeply about the intellectual property system and its role in driving innovation and economic growth.  By working closely and collaboratively with our USPTO colleagues, we hope our insights and experience inform the USPTO as it considers how to best protect the existing and emerging technologies that will create a better future.”

Suzanne Harrison

“I joined PPAC with the intent to work with the USPTO to help them think more strategically about how best to utilize patents for the benefit of our nation and our national competitiveness.”

Lateef Mtima

“Service on the PPAC affords its members the unique privilege of assisting the USPTO in its function to promote effective IP protection for American innovators and entrepreneurs and to provide the American public with the training, education, and capacity building programs that will foster respect for IP achievement. I’m especially excited to serve on the PPAC as the USPTO implements the National Strategy for Inclusive Innovation and fulfills the mandate of the Unleashing American Innovators Act to ensure that Americans from every geographic region and all walks of life enjoy the opportunity to cultivate their innovative potential to uplift their individual communities and to benefit our nation as a whole.”

Marvin Slepian

“As a long-standing inventor, physician-scientist, engineer and developer of medical devices it has been an honor to be selected to serve on PPAC. Having the opportunity to bring years of real-world experience and expertise involving patenting and stewardship of intellectual property of cutting-edge devices, diagnostics and therapeutics – many of which successfully translated to clinical use today with lifesaving impact – has been a personal motivator to contribute to and advance the USPTO innovation mission. Without USPTO patent protection, none of the major device and technologies that are essential for the advancement of health and well-being for so many in the U.S and worldwide would exist today. As a current member of PPAC actively engaged in research and application of artificial intelligence in medicine, engineering, and across many disciplines, it has been a privilege to be engaged with many at USPTO as to how best to integrate, steward, and maximize the advances that this technology offers, to drive the USPTO mission and innovation for America.”

Olivia Tsai

“I am honored to serve on PPAC in a nation that champions widespread innovation and growth. This unique committee brings together distinguished IP leaders from diverse backgrounds and industries to collaborate with USPTO counterparts towards a common goal of supporting the best patent system in the world. It is my pleasure to listen and advise; the intellectual discussions and friendships made along the way are truly unmatched.”

TPAC members

Adraea Brown (Chair)

“It has been both a privilege and an honor to serve as a member and chair of TPAC. This experience has allowed me to work with some of the best minds in the trademark profession, gain valuable insights into the USPTO, and develop a profound appreciation for the dedicated professionals who collectively make the USPTO one of the leading intellectual property offices in the world. I have immense respect for everyone at the agency and appreciate the collaborative dynamic with Director Vidal, Commissioner Gooder, and their leadership teams who actively seek and welcome our questions and suggestions. I doubt another career experience can top this one.”

Amy Hsiao (Vice Chair)

“I'll admit, I was hesitant at first, not entirely sure what I was stepping into with TPAC. But now, I’m in awe. Serving on TPAC has been nothing short of an incredible journey, providing a unique window into how policies shape the future for American businesses – from fraud prevention to AI innovation. It’s a true honor to witness how government operates. The connections forged and the insights gained from this experience are extraordinary. I walk away with a newfound respect for our government and the dedicated individuals behind it. For me, TPAC is like an intensive MBA program, stretching – in a good way – my understanding beyond law into the realms of business, policy, and beyond. It's truly a rewarding, fun, and incredibly cool experience.”

Valerie Calloway

“It’s an honor to serve on TPAC during its 25th anniversary. Serving with the extraordinary African American women who are the current PAC Chairs is an experience of a lifetime. Exchanging perspectives with a variety of stakeholders to further innovation and business growth is an invaluable experience I’ll treasure forever.”

Rod Enns

“It has been the privilege of my career to serve on TPAC. Trademarks leadership partners with us and genuinely values our input, and the collegiality among TPAC members, some of the most accomplished practitioners in the field, makes for a great environment. I figured TPAC service would be interesting and rewarding, but I didn’t expect it to be so much fun!

Deborah Gerhardt

“Serving on TPAC has been one of the greatest honors of my professional life. At a TPAC meeting, the breadth of experience in the room is extraordinary. The USPTO ensures that the TPAC members come from different perspectives: private companies, nonprofits, large law firms, and universities. Each USPTO employee and TPAC member has experienced the world of IP so differently, that every meeting offers opportunities to learn from the extensive experience everyone brings to the table. Thanks to my TPAC service, I have a deeper appreciation for the many ways the USPTO serves the public and works to make the IP ecosystem accessible to everyone.”

Dana Brown Northcott

“It has been a true honor to serve on the TPAC, particularly as we celebrate its 25th anniversary.  The partnership and collaboration between TPAC and the USPTO have provided me a first-hand view of the USPTO’s dedication to enabling greater access to crucial IP protection mechanisms, as well as highlighted the USPTO’s commitment to encouraging diversity in innovation and entrepreneurship.”

The USPTO has been diligently working since early Friday morning to restore workstation access for employees across our organization. Fortunately, all of our external, stakeholder-facing systems were minimally impacted and were restored to full operation as of Friday afternoon. The public should have no issues accessing systems such as MyUSPTO, TEAS, or other applications linked to your USPTO.gov account or our public webpages.

Though a majority of those who lost computer access are now fully online and we project that most of our workforce will be back online before the end of the week, we know employees may have missed previously scheduled meetings or were not able to return your communications. We regret any confusion or uncertainty this has caused you.

I want to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to our teams who have been at this non-stop for the last few days, working over the weekend to set up an expanded onsite resolution center. I also want to thank the many employees across the organization who have stepped up to help outside of their regular job responsibilities. We will continue providing expanded services and hours until we have every USPTO employee back online. We are also committed to doing everything possible to alleviate the impact this outage has had on our stakeholders.

Thank you for your patience as we work to get this issue resolved. I appreciate your time and support.

Squire and Whitaker worked together on Entrepreneurship Essentials Roadshows where the military community learns about resources to assist them in starting their own business and the importance of protecting their intellectual property (IP). (This transcript has been edited for brevity.)

Whitaker to Major Squire: Thank you for your service to our country and here at the USPTO. Tell us about yourself and why you joined the military.

Squire: I’m an active-duty major and just celebrated my 13-year Air Force anniversary. My background is in airfield operations. I’m the fourth generation of military service. Thanks to my parents’ service, I knew about scholarship opportunities. I was awarded one to pay for a good chunk of my education, and I joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. [Squire has a bachelor of arts in psychology and linguistics from New York University. Her master of science is from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.]

My original service commitment was four years. You ask yourself, why stay in something that often requires sacrifices? It boils down to the people you surround yourself with – and a constant drive to serve the public. Christy, as your husband just retired from the Army, I’m sure you also both went through this at every milestone.

Whitaker: You’re returning to the Pentagon?

Squire: I was an aide-de-camp. I’m headed back as a staff officer at the Air Force Plans and Programs office, doing long-range resource allocation.

Whitaker: Why did you choose to do your fellowship at the USPTO?

Squire: I was intrigued by the agency's mission and the chance to work at its highest level. You go to a new-to-you agency and get some freedom to define the fellowship and help build it out for future members.

Whitaker: Had you heard about the USPTO previously?

Squire: No. You know what patents are, you know what trademarks are. I didn’t know deeply about intellectual property. I quickly saw the world completely differently: IP, ideas, and innovation are everywhere. I toured the Global Intellectual Property Academy, and the patent for the chair you’re sitting in is on the wall. 

The USPTO’s mission is to get these ideas into impactful public use. Visiting military bases helped me connect with folks who were like, ‘Why the USPTO? Why are you here?’ We need to continue reaching this community. 

Whitaker: What are some other fellowship highlights?

Squire: As perhaps the first defense fellow here, I found where the Air Force’s priorities align with the USPTO’s. I helped design my own fellowship even as we increased military outreach. 

I can’t see the world quite the same after this experience. If I heard about intellectual property, it might have been in ways you see in the headlines. I peeled back that understanding by learning from USPTO colleagues.

I attended last year’s National Inventors Hall of Fame induction with world-changing inventors. NIHF shows how the USPTO inspires future generations to improve on innovations or invent the next big thing. I looked at my husband and thought this is wildly inspiring.  

I connected with innovators and entrepreneurs and watched them start and grow businesses. Connecting participants to each other and to resources was the biggest highlight. 

Whitaker: How will your USPTO experience help you at the Pentagon?

Squire: There are relevant lessons in the importance of IP rights, technology transfer, and dual-use technologies for the military and civilians. Having helped create USPTO programs will carry me further.

At some point I’ll hang up the uniform and figure out what’s next. Now I know how to find the right people and resources.

Whitaker: What’s similar and different between working as a civilian for the last year and military service?

Squire: There are big differences – by design. The military is more hierarchical. It took a little bit of learning to work in a flatter organization. There’s a lot more autonomy here.

I was surprised to see many similarities. The people I worked with got stuff done. That’s something the military instills: Get after this, find a way towards something possible. Other differences are obvious: I chose what to wear every day.

Whitaker: What other USPTO programs did you help stand up?

Squire: The USPTO started its military initiatives before I arrived. Thanks to Director Vidal for prioritizing it. Thanks to folks like you, Christy, and to Janine Scianna for building it from scratch. 

I got to expand our programs:

• We built more touchpoints with DOD to support their innovation needs.
• We worked with the First Lady’s Joining Forces initiative.
• We joined an interagency committee advancing an executive order for military spouses.

I would flag an idea internally, and the Office of Human Resources got it over the finish line. In June, it published an administrative leave policy for military spouses relocating due to military orders. They can apply for five days of administrative leave so they don’t use annual leave. Because of all we do to support veterans and military spouses, we provided a slew of best practices for the White House’s toolkit on hiring military spouses.

And the USPTO just became a partner employer in the Military Spouse Employment Partnership. This Department of Defense program connects military spouses with nonprofit, corporate, and government employers that are committed to hiring and promoting these valuable employees.

Whitaker: What’s your advice for those interested in joining the USPTO?

Squire: You can apply through USAJobs, the Hiring our Heroes military spouse fellowship, and DOD SkillBridge.

Being a part of innovation at its earliest stages and getting updates about what’s happening in technology is significant. If you get a chance to be a part of that, do it.