USPTO News
- On October 5, the USPTO welcomed John F. Duffy as its new General Counsel and Acting Solicitor. Duffy “will also supervise the Office of General Counsel (OGC) and its three offices: the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of General Law, and the Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED).” Director Squires delivered remarks praising Duffy at the swearing-in ceremony.
- On October 9, the USPTO announced a “new PTAB Moot Court Competition for the PTAB advocates of tomorrow.” The competition is in collaboration with Indiana University Maurer School of Law (IU Maurer) and “[t]eams participating in the competition will have the chance to work with Administrative Patent Judges (APJs) to gain practical tips, experience, and insight in presenting a case before the PTAB.” The competition has no entry fee and will take place entirely in the Spring 2027 semester.
- On October 19, the USPTO announced that “[t]he Trademark Center mark description generator is already delivering meaningful results,” and “[m]ore than 25,000 applicants have used super intelligence-generated mark descriptions and color claims since the feature debuted in April.” The USPTO stated that this number “represents 42% of design mark applications in a six-month period.”
- On October 26, the USPTO announced new forms and features at the Trademark Center. As of October 31, the USPTO retired eight forms in the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), and customers must use the Trademark Center instead. The Trademark Center also has a new form for Request to Delete Section 1(b) Basis, new features for ease of updating information in maintenance and renewal forms, and a new updated menu. The USPTO “plan[s] for the transition from TEAS to Trademark Center to be complete in spring 2027.”
- On October 27, the USPTO announced a virtual program on November 19 from 1-2PM “on building and protecting a business brand.” In recognition of Veterans Day, the program “will highlight the role military spouses and military-connected entrepreneurs play in supporting families, communities, and local economies.”
- On October 28, the USPTO announced that trademarks exceeded all FY 2026 goals, specifically meeting all “pendency and quality goals.” The USPTO highlighted other successes, including “launching tools like Class ACT, image searching, and the Trademark Center mark description generator” and combating scams and fraud.
- On October 28, the USPTO announced a “webinar on the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and intellectual property (IP) on Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 2-4 p.m. E.T.” The webinar will include insights from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and have information from the Small Business Administration (SBA) regarding America’s Seed Fund.
Final Rules
- There are no new final rules.
Interim Rules
- There are no new interim rules.
Proposed Rules
- There are no new proposed rules.
General Notices
- The USPTO announced that it was inviting comments on the extension and revision of its information collection regarding how public libraries are using the USPTO’s Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) Program/ Any comments must be submitted on or before December 7, 2026. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Patent and Trademark Resource Center Metrics, 91 FR 63529 (October 6, 2026).
- The USPTO announced that it would be submitting an “information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)” regarding data from the USPTO’s ongoing Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) Surveys. Comments were previously requested on April 20, 2026. Any comments must be submitted on or before November 5, 2026. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) Surveys, 91 FR 63530 (October 6, 2026).
- The USPTO announced that it would be submitting an “information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)” regarding impacts of USPTO non-DOCX filing surcharge fees for nonprovisional utility applications. Comments were previously requested on April 27, 2026, and any comments must be submitted on or before November 30, 2026. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; DOCX Submission Requirements, 91 FR 68495 (October 30, 2026).
PTAB Decisions
- New Precedential PTAB Decisions
- There are no new precedential PTAB decisions
- New Informative PTAB Decisions
- There are no new informative PTAB decisions
- New Director Review Decisions
