USPTO Law and Legal Definition
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) administers the examination and granting of patent rights in the United States. It comes under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The role of the USPTO is to grant patents for the protection of inventions and to register trademarks. The USPTO also advises and assists the bureaus and offices of the Department of Commerce and other agencies of the US Government in matters involving intellectual property. The USPTO aids and encourages innovation and the scientific and technical advancement through the preservation, classification, and dissemination of patent information.
In discharging its patent related duties, the USPTO examines applications and grants patents and trademarks on inventions in appropriate cases. The USPTO also publishes information, records assignments of patents, maintains search files of U.S. and foreign patents, and maintains a search room for public use in examining issued patents and records. It also supplies copies of patents and official records to the public.
