A Guide to the Patent and Trademark Office
What is the Patent and Trademark Office?
The Patent and Trademark Office is a Federal agency that operates within the United States of America and more specifically the United States Department of Commerce. The Patent and Trademark Office, better known as the USPTO, is responsible for issuing patents to investors and business entities for their particular inventions. Additionally, the Patent and Trademark Office will provide trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office cooperates with the European patent Office as well as the Japan Office; together these three departments form the Trilateral Patent Office. In addition to issuing patents and trademarks, the United States Patent and Trademark Office also acts as a receiving station, an International Searching Authority and an International Preliminary Examination Authority for international filings for patent applications—all international patent applications must be filed in accordance with the United States’ Patent Cooperation Treaty.
Patent and Trademark Office Quick Facts:
The following details outline the administration of the Patent and Trademark Office:
The headquarters of the Patent and Trademark Office are located in Alexandria, Virginia
The Patent and Trademark Office is responsible for the jurisdiction over the Federal Government of the United States of America
The head of the Patent and Trademark Office is Agency Executive David Kappos who operates under the Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property. Mr. Kappos, was sworn into office on August 13, 2009 following confirmation awarded by the United States Senate—Kappos was originally appointed to office by President Barack Obama.
Mission of the Patent and Trademark Office:
The legal basis regarding the United States patent system is outlined in Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution. This article states that the United States Congress possesses the power to promote the progress of Science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors, the exclusive right to their respective discoveries and writings. Contact a patent lawyer to consult your case.
Using this framework as their legal foundation, the mission of the Patent and Trademark Office is as follows:
The United States Patent and Trademark office aims to promote industrial and technological progress in the United States
The United States Patent and Trademark Office aims to spark the economy through the administration of laws relating to the issuance of patents and trademarks and by advising the Secretary of Commerce, the President of the United States and the administration on patent, copyright protection and trademarks.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office also aims to provide advice regarding the trade-related aspects of intellectual property.
Government Agency of the Executive Branch:
Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government.
The Patent and Trademark Office functions as a government agency under the Executive Branch of the United States government, which is comprised of 3 total branches; in addition to the Executive branch – which is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of operational legislation existing within the United States of America – there also exists the Legislative and Judicial Branches.
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