USPTO Offices
The various offices within the US Patent and Trademark Office serve specific functions, both to the general public and the organization itself. The links below provide additional information about the functions of each of the offices.
- Office of the Commissioner for Patents
- Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks
- Office of the Administrator for External Affairs
- Office of the General Counsel
- Office of Public Affairs
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer
- Office of the Chief Information Officer
- Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
Office of the Commissioner for Patents
The Patent Office of the USPTO examines applications and grants patents on inventions when applicants are entitled to them; it publishes and disseminates patent information, records assignments of patents, maintains search files of U.S. and foreign patents, and maintains a search room for public use in examining issued patents and records.
Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks
The Trademark Office reviews trademark applications for federal registration and determines whether an applicant meets the requirements for federal registration. We do not decide whether you have the right to use a mark (which differs from the right to register). Even without a registration, you may still use any mark adopted to identify the source of your goods and/or services. Once a registration issues, it is up to the owner of a mark to enforce its rights in the mark based on ownership of a federal registration.
Office of the Administrator for External Affairs
Administrator for External Affairs is authorized by the American Inventors Protection Act to provide guidance, conduct programs and studies, and otherwise interact with international IP offices and international intergovernmental organizations on matters involving the protection of intellectual property. Our established Office of External Affairs carries out the functions authorized by the AIPA.
Office of the General Counsel
The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) consists of five organizations that are concerned with legal review of agency decisions, defense of agency decisions in court and administrative tribunals, internal agency legal advice, and regulation of persons practicing before the USPTO. These five organizations are the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of General Law, the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), and the Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED).
Office of Public Affairs
The Office of Public Affairs (OPA) coordinates a wide variety of internal and external communications.
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
The Office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) supports the mission of the USPTO by ensuring that customer fee payments are promptly, accurately, and efficiently recorded and deposited ensuring that Federal employees, contractors, and vendors necessary to protect intellectual property rights are paid promptly, accurately, courteously, and in accordance with the law providing audited financial statements and other financial management reports to the public, the Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, the Secretary of Commerce, and USPTO management staff.
Office of the Chief Information Officer
The Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) is the principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office on the architectural design and acquisition of supporting automated information systems and the underlying information technology infrastructure.
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) consists primarily of three organizations: Office of Civil Rights, the Office of Corporate Services, and the Office of Human Resources.
