With stories of veterans breaking down barriers to reach war memorials and the gates to national parks being indefinitely locked, one bright spot emerges from our federal government's first shutdown in 17 years: the United States Patent and Trademark Office remains open, subsisting on leftover fee collections from prior years. USPTO deputy director Teresa Stanek Rea told employees that the remaining funds should last "at least a few weeks."
Even if the USTPO runs out of its reserve cash before the end of the shutdown, Rae noted that it would maintain a skeleton crew to ensure the agency could continue to do its business of accepting new applications and maintaining IT functionality. As the president of the National Treasury Employees Union (which represents PTO employees), Colleen M. Kelley, stated, "Our economy depends upon the work of the employees of PTO to protect new ideas and investments in innovation and creativity. A dramatic increase in the already existing backlog at PTO would harm American investors and entrepreneurs responsible for much of the job growth in our country."
The agency's commitment to keeping its doors open – amidst a period of confusion and frustration in Washington – is a hopeful sign for continuing growth and innovation in the patent and trademark field.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
