USPTO

About USPTO

For over 200 years, the basic role of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has remained the same: to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to inventors the exclusive right to their respective discoveries. The strength and vitality of the U.S. economy depends directly on effective mechanisms that protect new ideas and investments in innovation and creativity. The continued demand for patents and trademarks underscores the ingenuity of American inventors and entrepreneurs. The USPTO is at the cutting edge of the Nation’s technological progress and achievement. The USPTO is a federal agency in the Department of Commerce. The office employs more than 14,000 people -- including engineers, scientists, attorneys, analysts, computer specialists -- all dedicated to protecting U.S. intellectual property rights. At the USPTO, the talents of all our colleagues enrich our vibrant workplace, and we celebrate and value each one.