Message from Director Andrei Iancu
During the last three months, each of us adapted to extraordinary changes in our personal and professional lives. We have repeatedly risen to the challenge and enabled the USPTO to remain open, providing the high-quality services, programs, and resources our stakeholders and the public were accustomed to receiving before the recent health crisis. And we have done so much more.
The USPTO has provided an unprecendented level of relief to our stakeholders impacted by COVID-19. We have also created new programs to help innovators bring important, and possibly life-saving, treatments and products to market more quickly. Just a few examples of our recent efforts include:
- A new web-based IP marketplace platform, Patents 4 Partnerships, to provide the public with a user-friendly, searchable repository of patents and published patent applications related to the prevention, treatment, and diagnosis of COVID-19 and available for licensing.
- The launch of the COVID-19 Response Resource Center to provide stakeholders with better access to our COVID-19 initiatives as well as helpful IP-related information about the COVID-19 outbreak.
- New pilot programs that allow us to expedite examination of patent and trademark applications related to COVID-19.
At the same time, our OCIO teams continue to transform our information technology infrastructure, accelerating stabilization efforts and scaling their work to modernize critical systems and tools. OCIO's efforts permit the outstanding work of the agency to continue without interruption.
And now we are beginning the process of reopening our offices. As previously announced, our regional offices in Denver and Dallas began a Phase 1 reopening last week. Based on conditions in Northern Virginia, which includes Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties and the City of Alexandria, we are planning a Phase 1 reopening of our Alexandria campus and the Randolph Square building in Arlington on June 25. USPTO employees with offices in Alexandria or Arlington will soon receive additional information about the Phase 1 reopening.
Remember, Phase 1 involves a very limited reopening, and only employees at a location that has entered Phase 1 and who are unable to work effectively from home should request to return to their building. Please also note that our regional offices in San Jose and Detroit remain in a mandatory telework status until further notice.
Your health and safety remain our highest priorities as we reopen our offices. Please contact your supervisor with any questions, or direct them to COVID-19questions@uspto.gov. For more information on COVID-19, please visit coronavirus.gov.
Thank you for your patience and preserverance as we navigate this new environment.