USPTO Launches Office of Public Engagement
“According to a USPTO press release issued Monday, Congress has also approved a ‘broader agency realignment plan.’”
Scott Ewalt, Interim Chief Public Engagement Officer Source: USPTO (Photo by Jay Premack/USPTO)
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced Monday that it has created an Office of Public Engagement (OPE) “to advance the agency’s mission of increasing participation in the innovation ecosystem by strengthening outreach and support to American communities.”
The OPE will be on par with the Patents and Trademarks units and will consolidate a number of existing offices into one, including the four USPTO Regional Offices.
The three main offices that comprise the OPE are:
- Regional Offices, which includes the four main regional offices plus two regional outreach offices (another outreach office in Atlanta is scheduled to open in 2025);
- Strategic Engagement Office, which is made up of the Customer Experience Division and the Council for Inclusive Innovation Program; and
- Community Engagement Office, which includes the Community Outreach Office Program, the Public Resources Division, the Innovation Outreach Division, the Students and Learners Division and the Teachers and Classrooms Division.
Broader Realignment
According to a USPTO press release issued Monday, Congress has also approved a “broader agency realignment plan” that includes elevating the Cybersecurity Unit to the Office of the Chief Information Office (OCIO); elevating the Office of Governmental Affairs (OGA) from the Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA) to its own business unit; and elevating the Designs team to its own division within Patents with a new Deputy Commissioner for Designs.
The Office also recently created a separate design patent bar, which requires applicants to take the current registration examination, “with modified scientific and technical requirements.” Vidal said at the time that the Office consistently has received more design patent applications “year over year…illustrating the importance of design protection to industry and our economy.”
“This realignment plan ensures our agency is best structured to achieve our mission,” said USPTO Director Kathi Vidal in a statement. “We are creating efficiencies in our work and strengthening our service to the public.”
The OPE became operational as of March 10. USPTO executive Scott Ewalt will serve as interim Chief Public Engagement Officer, reporting to Vidal, until a permanent head is selected.
Ewalt previously was the Deputy Chief Policy Officer for Operations in the Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA) at the USPTO and the Director of Budget Execution in the Office of Planning and Budget for the USPTO’s Chief Financial Officer. Outside of the Office, he served as Acting Executive Director of the Business Management Office for the Chief Information Officer of the Department of Homeland Security, and the Acting Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for the International Trade Administration in the Department of Commerce.
Eileen McDermott
Eileen McDermott is the Editor-in-Chief of IPWatchdog.com. Eileen is a veteran IP and legal journalist, and no stranger to the intellectual property world, having held editorial and managerial positions at […see more]
