United States Patent and Trademark Office

Uncommon card · No. 193922

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia, after a 2005 move from the Crystal City area of neighboring Arlington County, Virginia. The USPTO is "unique among federal agencies because it operates solely on fees collected by its users, and not on taxpayer dollars". Its "operating structure is like a business in that it receives requests for services—applications for patents and trademark registrations—and charges fees projected to cover the cost of performing the services [it] provide[s]". The office is headed by the under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. As of September 2025, John A. Squires is the undersecretary and director, having been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as part of an en bloc vote. The USPTO...

Read on Wikipedia · Image U.S. government, Public domain