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22 May 2016Trademarks

INTA 2016: USPTO keeping up with rising trademark filings, says commissioner

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is managing to keep on top of an increasing trademark workload, but is also focusing on quality of examination, a senior official has explained.

Mary Boney Denison, commissioner for trademarks at the office, was speaking at the International Trademark Association’s (INTA) annual meeting in Orlando today, May 22.

Denison, who explained that the USPTO employs around 800 trademark employees and 500 examining attorneys, said there has been a “dramatic increase” in filings in recent years. By September 30, the end of FY 2016, the office is expecting a 7% year-on-year rise in filings.

But “we’re keeping up with pendency”, she said, noting that as of April 2016, the office had provided first office actions within 3.1 months on average.

Meeting pendency is only part of story, she added, as “quality is important”. The office wants to ensure examiners make the right decision, looking at first and final actions and “whether they got it right”, and also assessing search, evidence, writing, etc. “Examiners have risen to the challenge,” she argued.

Denison also urged applicants to file their marks electronically, not by paper, after having mentioned that she recently called all the paper filers to find out why they continued to apply in this way (though not all took her call).

“I would love to hear your concerns and address them,” she said.

Denison also discussed the office’s IP attache programme, noting that the attaches, who provide guidance to rights owners in various jurisdictions “are all over the place and can be very helpful to you should you encounter a problem overseas”.

The INTA conference runs until Wednesday, May 25.

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