United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

What United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) does

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency, operating under the U.S. Department of Commerce, that holds exclusive statutory authority to grant U.S. patents and register U.S. trademarks. Established in 1791 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the agency processes patent and trademark applications, operates the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) for inter partes reviews and ex parte appeals, and conducts opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). In 2024 USPTO received a record 430,625 patent applications and issued 324,043 patent grants, while carrying an unexamined backlog of roughly 813,000 applications and average pendency exceeding 20 months.

USPTO's core product platform consists of two digital filing and management systems, Patent Center and Trademark Center, supported by public search databases (Patent Public Search, Trademark Search System, Global Dossier linking to IP5 offices), case tracking portals (P-TACTS, PTAB DH, TSDR), and an Open Data Portal for programmatic access. The agency has built a substantial AI capability layer on top of these systems, including DesignVision (computer-vision search across 80+ global design registers), Class ACT (automated trademark classification), the AI Search Automated Pilot Program (ASAP!) for prior-art analysis, and the Mehr Like This Document similarity search feature. Education and outreach are delivered through five regional offices (Midwest, Southwest, Western, Northeast, Southeast) plus newer community engagement offices at the University of Utah and Montana State University, supplemented by the Path to a Patent webinar series and the Innovation Expo.

USPTO is funded entirely by user fees rather than congressional appropriations, with revenue streams spanning patent filing and maintenance fees, trademark filing and renewal fees, PTAB proceeding fees, and certified copy/document services. The agency serves a broadly distributed customer base including independent inventors, startups, Fortune 500 enterprises, registered patent attorneys and agents, and academic institutions, with no single-customer concentration. Leadership is provided by Director John A. Squires (60th Director), Chief Information Officer Deborah Stephens, and Chief Public Engagement Officer Nancy Kamei, alongside regional and divisional directors.

Name

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Legal name

United States Patent and Trademark Office

Website

https://uspto.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1791

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the U.S. federal agency with exclusive authority to grant patents and register trademarks, serving inventors, entrepreneurs, enterprises, and patent practitioners through digital filing platforms, AI-enhanced search tools, and PTAB adjudication.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Administration

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Intellectual Property (IP) Law (BPAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

IP Management, Patents & Trademark Software (BPAEAPAN), Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA), Trademark Prosecution & Brand Protection (BPAHAMAB), IP & Patent Information Publishing (Patent/Litigation Analytics, Prior Art) (MPAJACAK)

Keywords

• Patent registration services
• Trademark registration system
• Intellectual property administration
• Patent examination services
• IP public search

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Patent Filing and Maintenance Fees: Fees collected for patent applications, issuance, maintenance, and related services
2. Trademark Filing and Renewal Fees: Fees for trademark applications, registrations, renewals, and related filings
3. PTAB Proceedings Fees: Fees for inter partes review, post-grant review, and other PTAB proceedings including Fast-Track Appeals
4. Certified Copies and Document Services: Fees for certified copies of patents and trademarks, document orders, and search services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The USPTO operates the federal patent and trademark registration systems for the United States, granting patent rights and registering trademarks through its Patent Center and Trademark Center online platforms. The agency examines patent and trademark applications, conducts inter partes reviews and appeals via the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, provides public prior art search tools, registers international filings under PCT and Madrid Protocol, and offers AI-powered tools (DesignVision, Class ACT, ASAP!) to support examination quality and efficiency.

Product overview

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is a federal agency that provides the patent and trademark registration systems for the United States. Its product portfolio centers on two core digital filing and management platforms—Patent Center for patent applications and Trademark Center for trademark applications—both enhanced with AI capabilities. Supporting these are public search databases (Patent Public Search, Trademark Search System, Global Dossier linking to IP5 offices), administrative boards (PTAB for patent appeals/inter partes review, TTAB for trademark disputes), and AI tools (DesignVision for design patent image search, Class ACT for trademark classification automation, AI Search Automated Pilot Program for prior art analysis, and Mehr Like This Document for similarity search). USPTO also offers educational programs including the quarterly Path to a Patent series, the annual Innovation Expo conference, and maintains Regional Outreach Offices and Community Engagement Offices across the U.S. for public IP education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patent Center
• Trademark Center
• Patent Public Search
• Trademark Search System
• Global Dossier
• Open Data Portal
• Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
• Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB)
• Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR)
• Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
• Madrid Protocol
• Hague Agreement
• DesignVision
• Class ACT
• AI Search Automated Pilot Program (ASAP!)
• Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program
• Central Reexamination Unit (CRU)
• Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)
• Certified Copy Center
• Regional Outreach Offices
• Community Engagement Offices
• IP Identifier
• Path to a Patent Series
• Innovation Expo
• Mehr Like This Document

Quantifiable outcome

• 324,043 patent grants in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Montana State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026New Community Engagement Office location at Montana State University in Bozeman, representing strategic expansion of federal IP infrastructure into the Rocky Mountain West region.
• University of UtahcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026Partnership to establish a community engagement office on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, expanding IP education and resources across the Intermountain West. The new office serves an eight-state region previously covered by the Rocky Mountain Regional Outreach Office in Colorado.
• National Inventors Hall of FamecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026Partnership to induct 15 innovators into the National Inventors Hall of Fame Class of 2026, honoring breakthrough inventions including Wi-Fi, CRISPR, Spanx, and other transformative technologies at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2025Co-hosting public roundtable on OECD online marketplace guidelines for combating counterfeit goods, with written comment submissions due June 27, 2025.
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)coreTechnology or IntegrationInternational intellectual property organization administering treaties including the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and Hague Agreement. USPTO participates in IP5 cooperation with EPO, JPO, KIPO, and CNIPA.
• European Patent Office (EPO)coreTechnology or IntegrationCooperative Patent Classification (CPC) partnership for harmonized patent classification and search. Joint initiative between USPTO and EPO.
• Japan Patent Office (JPO)coreTechnology or IntegrationIP5 partner and participant in collaborative search pilot programs, Global Dossier initiative, and Patent Prosecution Highway.
• Korea Intellectual Property Office (KIPO)coreTechnology or IntegrationIP5 partner with SHARE work-sharing pilot program and various collaborative examination initiatives.
• Department of Justice (DOJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint filing of Statement of Interest in Collision Communications v. Samsung supporting NPE patent plaintiffs' right to seek permanent injunctions.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• European Patent Office (EPO): Regional patent-granting authority covering European member states and joint CPC partner with USPTO. Most direct functional peer with overlapping examination, search, and classification responsibilities.
• China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA): Chinese national IP office and IP5 partner. Comparable scope of patent and trademark examination with overlapping international filing systems; primary strategic competitor for global filings.
• IP Australia: Australian national IP office with analogous patent and trademark registration systems and PPH cooperation with USPTO.
• Japan Patent Office (JPO): National IP office of Japan and IP5 partner. Operates analogous patent and trademark registration systems and participates in Patent Prosecution Highway and Global Dossier with USPTO.
• UK Intellectual Property Office: UK national IP office with patent and trademark registration functions comparable to USPTO, including similar examination and classification processes.
• Korea Intellectual Property Office (KIPO): South Korean national IP office and IP5 partner. Operates parallel patent/trademark registration, SHARE work-sharing pilot, and PPH programs with USPTO.
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO): Canadian national IP office offering parallel patent and trademark services, sharing CPC participation and PCT cooperation with USPTO.

Broad incumbents

• Anaqua: IP management software platform serving patent and trademark practitioners, providing docketing and workflow tools that complement USPTO's Patent Center and Trademark Center filings.
• Clarivate: IP analytics and management software provider offering patent search, IPfolio portfolio management, and Derwent prior-art data widely used by USPTO practitioners; serves as adjacent infrastructure to USPTO filings.

Others

• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO): UN agency administering PCT, Madrid, and Hague systems. Not a direct competitor but the international treaty body whose infrastructure USPTO relies on for cross-border filings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uspto
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/USPTOvideo
• Facebookfacebook.com/uspto.gov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uspto
• Instagraminstagram.com/uspto

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)