Nominations for members to patent and trademark public advisory committees with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are being accepted through the end of June, the agency announced recently.
USPTO seeks to fill up to six pending vacancies on two committees, three each on the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) and the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC), according to the May 24 announcement. The three-year terms will begin Dec. 1; members can participate remotely with their committees, the announcement states.
PPAC and TPAC each have nine voting members, U.S. citizens selected by the Secretary of Commerce "to represent the interests of the diverse users of the USPTO," the agency states in the announcement.
"The Public Advisory Committees review the policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees of the patent and trademark operations, respectively," the USPTO states, "and advise the director on these matters," the agency reports.
USPTO Director Kathi Vidal said the diversity of representation and views on the public advisory committees allows the USPTO to be a "catalyst for inclusive innovation, economic prosperity, U.S. competitiveness, national security, and world problem-solving," the statement reports, "by incentivizing and protecting more innovation, especially in key technology areas, and bring that innovation to impact."
Nominations must be submitted online or postmarked on or before June 30. Details on nominations and submissions are on the Federal Register website, according to the USPTO.
“I’m looking forward to working closely with the PPAC and TPAC," VIdal said, "as we get back to first principles and reshape policy and procedures for the good of our country,”
