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 July 2025
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Greetings from Acting Director Stewart |
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 Dear innovators,
It was an honor to welcome Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to our Alexandria headquarters recently to learn about his vision for the agency and the future of intellectual property protection. Secretary Lutnick is no stranger to the USPTO — or the intellectual property system — having been named on more than 400 U.S. patents. The prolific inventor made a name for himself in the fintech space and played a pivotal role in the development and implementation of the eSpeed electronic trading platform, a breakthrough that revolutionized trading on Wall Street. It is Secretary Lutnick’s deep understanding of the patent system and his promotion of advanced technologies like AI that will help the agency achieve its objectives of reducing pendency and promoting American innovation. We look forward to Secretary Lutnick’s guidance and support as we continue to serve our patent and trademark holders.
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Coke Morgan Stewart
Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the USPTO
P.S. Stay up to date with the latest news for inventors and entrepreneurs! Sign up to receive each issue of this newsletter.
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Resources to help bring your products to market |
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Trademark versus trade name
What's a trade name and how is that different from a trademark? Can my trade name be a trademark? Lots of people get them confused, so learn how to tell the difference.
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Trademark: A trademark indicates the source of your goods or services. Think brand names, slogans, and logos. You can register trademarks with the USPTO to secure nationwide ownership rights.
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Trade name: A trade name is the name of your business. It's sometimes called a business name, company name, or "doing business as." You typically file this name with your jurisdiction's secretary of state to do business in that jurisdiction.
Do you have to use your trade name as a trademark? No! You can, but you don't have to. You might have a business name but also develop a trademark to help customers identify you in the marketplace.
Can I apply to register both my trade name and my trademark with the USPTO? Yes! You can have more than one trademark registration, but you must be using your trade name as a trademark to federally register it. Many inventors don't use their trade names as trademarks and instead focus on registering the brand names of their various inventions.
Jumpstart your business today
 Did you recently launch a business or are interested in doing so? We offer several free resources to help answer common questions and help you start off on the right track. Find information and resources on trademarks, patents, and access to other services by visiting this learning and resources page.
USPTO Hour
Join us for our regular webinar series to learn about a different intellectual property topic, from Patents to Trademarks, to the latest developments at the agency. You’ll hear from USPTO subject matter experts and have the chance to ask questions.
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USPTO services highlights |
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Grand opening of the Tuskegee University Patent and Trademark Resource Center
Alabama inventors, business owners, and entrepreneurs can now receive intellectual property information by visiting Tuskegee University's new Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC), which provides free assistance to the public about patents and trademarks.
Looking for a PTRC location nearby? Use our office locations map to find a center near you.
Hiring for patent examiners begins
If you have experience in these fields or know a colleague or friend who may be interested, you can find all our open positions on the agency’s USAJobs website.
Visit our USPTO patent examiners webpage to learn about the application process, sign up for an upcoming event, or see what a career with America's Innovation Agency can mean for you.
Discontinuing Accelerated Examination Program for Utility Applications; Track One examination available
As of July 10, 2025, we no longer accept petitions under the Accelerated Examination program for utility patent applications. The Accelerated Examination program will remain in effect for design applications, which do not currently have an alternative expedited examination program.
Discontinuing Accelerated Examination for utility applications frees up examining resources to be devoted to older, unexamined utility applications, thereby supporting our broader efforts to reduce pendency and inventory. Additionally, we’ve observed a steady decline in the number of requests for Accelerated Examination. In each of the fiscal years 2014 to 2024, fewer than 100 applicants have utilized Accelerated Examination.
Please visit the Federal Register to read the Final Rule in its entirety.
Inventors are encouraged to explore the agency's Track One program that offers prioritized examination of your utility and plant patent applications.
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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's visit to USPTO
 Check out our Instagram reel for behind-the-scenes footage of Secretary Lutnick's trip to USPTO headquarters.
Summertime inventions
 Check out our Facebook post celebrating National Great Outdoors Month that highlights several patented innovations designed to maximize fun in the sun!
Mark Twain the inventor?
 Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was not only an accomplished writer — he was an inventor, too! Check out our LinkedIn post that reveals the motivation behind Clemens' scrapbooking improvement patent.
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P.S. Stay up to date with the latest news for inventors and entrepreneurs! Sign up to receive each issue of this newsletter. |
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