The America Invents Act, signed into law by President Obama in 2011, requires the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to establish at least three regional offices throughout the country with more than 600 cities applied. From these applications, the USPTO selected four locations, based upon geographical diversity, regional economic impact, ability to recruit and retain employees, and the ability to engage the intellectual property community.

On October 15, 2015, the Silicon Valley Regional Office opened for business in San Jose, California, in the San Jose City Hall, and will serve the intellectual property community in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii. Statistically, California companies and individuals alone hold one in every ten U.S. patents, and Silicon Valley inventors file more than 1,000 patent applications every month. The San Jose office ultimately will have a staff of about 120, including 80 new patent examiners and more than 20 administrative judges.

The San Jose office joins the Elijah J. McCoy Regional Office in Detroit, opened on July 13, 2012, and the Rocky Mountain Regional Office in Denver, opened June 30, 2014. A fourth office – the Texas Regional Office – is scheduled to open in Dallas on November 9, 2015, and will serve the southern and southwestern states.

The San Jose office joins the other regional offices in providing outreach services for inventors, entrepreneurs, startups, researchers, and others to:

  • Obtain information about the USPTO and intellectual property through walk-in services.
  • Search existing patents and trademarks on designated workstations.
  • Attend workshops, training programs, conferences, and roundtable discussions tailored to the needs of the local community at all levels.
  • Participate in programs designed to support and foster STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education with an emphasis on innovative learning.
  • Use interview rooms for applicants to videoconference with examiners working at USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, and across the country.
  • Deliver technical training from experts in the region to patent examiners working around the country.
  • Meet with strategic Federal partners, such as the Small Business Administration and other bureaus at the Department of Commerce, on programs for the small business and entrepreneurial community.
  • Gain remote access to Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings at USPTO headquarters and other regional offices, and have available local hearing rooms to host PTAB and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings.

*Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office, www.uspto.gov

Originally published October 29, 2015.

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