The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seeks nominations to fill up to three upcoming vacancies on the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) and up to three upcoming vacancies on the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC). The three-year term for new members, who can participate in the Committees remotely, will start on December 1, 2023. Nominations must be postmarked or electronically submitted on or before July 3, 2023. Submission details are available in the Federal Register Notice titled “Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees.”

    “The agency is committed to making strategic and targeted changes where they are needed while upholding the strong intellectual property system that has made America the innovation engine that it is,” indicated Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. “The Advisory Committees play a critical role in advising me and the USPTO on the work we are doing to promote inclusive innovation, economic prosperity, U.S. competitiveness, national security, and world problem-solving by incentivizing and protecting more innovation, especially in key technology areas, and bring that innovation to impact.”

    The Public Advisory Committees for the USPTO were created in 1999 through the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act to advise the Secretary of Commerce, as well as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, on the management of patent and trademark operations, including goals, performance, budgets, and user fees. Each Committee has nine voting members who are appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Secretary of Commerce. Each member serves a three-year term.

    For more information about the nomination process, please contact the Office of the Under Secretary and Director at 571-272-8600. 

    Source: USPTO