Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) was established by the act of July 19, 1952 (35 U.S.C. 1) "to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to inventors the…
- Civilian staff, August 2026
- 13,517
- −1% in a year
- Rules made final this year
- 4
- 1 proposed
- Organizations that lobbied it
- 196
- 2019 to 2026
Where its power comes from
An agency can act only where a law lets it. These are the laws its rules cite, where its rules live, and the bills that would change it.
Laws it carries out
The U.S. Code sections its rules of the last six years cite as their authority, most cited first.
Its rulebook
Where the rules it wrote these six years sit in the Code of Federal Regulations.
Track record
What it made final, the cases it brought, and where Congress moved to undo its work.
Latest final rules
The newest rules it made final.
- International Trademark Classification ChangesAug 26
- References to Electronic Filing Systems in Rules of Practice in Filings Pursuant to the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of MarksJul 15
- Conditions for Additional Information and Fee in Petitions Filed in Patent Applications and Patents Based on Unintentional DelayJun 24
- Required Use by Foreign Applicants and Patent Owners of a Patent PractitionerMar 20
Who runs it
Its leaders
- John SquiresUnder Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Who pays to be heard
- Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A.$538M on reports naming it
- Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America$182M on reports naming it
- Amazon.com Services LLC$140M on reports naming it
- John SquiresUnder Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
- Department of CommerceThe department it sits in
- Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A.Lobbied it, $538M
- Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of AmericaLobbied it, $182M
- Amazon.com Services LLCLobbied it, $140M
- Biotechnology Innovation OrganizationLobbied it, $79.2M
Its leaders
The people the Senate last confirmed to its offices, one record per office. A confirmation date is not proof someone still serves.
Who tries to sway it
Who names it on federal lobbying reports, 2019 to 2026, and who used to work there. Naming an agency is the filer’s account of where work was aimed, not a record of a meeting.
Who pays to be heard
The biggest spenders on reports that name it. A report names several issues, so each figure is the whole report.
- Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A.$538M
- Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America$182M
- Amazon.com Services LLC$140M
- Biotechnology Innovation Organization$79.2M
- Microsoft Corporation$74.8M
- Qualcomm, Incorporated$63.4M
- Bayer Corporation (Consolidated Report)$58.2M
- Genentech, Inc.$57.4M
- National Association of Manufacturers$54.3M
- Gilead Sciences, Inc.$49.8M
- Oracle Corporation$43.2M
- Meta Platforms, Inc. and Various Subsidiaries$40M
- GSK$36.8M
- Paramount Skydance Corporation$35.2M
- National Retail Federation$33.7M
- Novartis$30M
- Entertainment Software Association$22.7M
- National Venture Capital Association$20.7M
- Dell Technologies, Inc.$16.8M
- 3M Company$16.4M
Who files the lobbying
The firms on reports that name it, by how many clients they filed for.
- Marla Grossman LLC11 clients
- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld10 clients
- Acg Advocacy8 clients
- Franklin Square Group, LLC6 clients
- Radius Advocacy, LLC4 clients
- Covington & Burling LLP4 clients
- Sentinel Worldwide3 clients
- West Front Strategies LLC3 clients
- James Edwards3 clients
- Twinlogic Strategies, LLP2 clients
- Novel Strategies Prism Group2 clients
- American Apparel & Footwear Association2 clients
- Holland & Knight LLP2 clients
- Sidley Austin LLP2 clients
- Bose Public Affairs Group2 clients
- Crowell Global Advisors2 clients
- American Strategic Partners2 clients
- Ballard Partners2 clients
- Mr. Jonathan Band2 clients
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)1 client
Former staff now lobbying
Lobbyists whose filings list a past job here.
In the news
Reporting that may mention this subject. Possible matches are labeled.
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