The fee adjustments will provide the USPTO with sufficient funding to effectively and efficiently administer the U.S. patent system and continue progress toward achieving our strategic goals. 

As the Community Outreach Office Director, Modricker will carry out the strategic direction of the USPTO’s Office of Public Engagement (OPE) and ensure the USPTO’s initiatives and programs are tailored to the area’s unique ecosystem of industries and stakeholders. 

The fee adjustments will provide the USPTO with sufficient funding to effectively administer the U.S. trademark registration system and the ability to implement programs and initiatives driving our 2022-2026 Strategic Plan.

The USPTO is rolling out an expansion to our IP Identifier tool and a new Startup Certification Training Course to ensure that the millions of new business owners, and the tens of millions of existing businesses, know how to protect their IP and the importance of doing so.

Through the CBA and related labor-management relations efforts, the USPTO and NTEU 245 worked together to prioritize operational excellence while preserving employee flexibilities that make USPTO one of the top agencies to work for in the federal government. The CBA, which immediately takes effect, carries a five-year term with rollover provisions.

We are committed to increasing the number of Patent and Trademark Resource Centers (PTRCs) at educational programs across the country to ensure that creators, inventors, and entrepreneurs have access to key resources to help them protect their inventions and brands.”
- Derrick Brent, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO