Reducing trademark pendency, improving processing
In fiscal year (FY) 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reduced first action pendency by 25%. Now we’re building on that success—Trademarks further reduced first action pendency by 20% in the first half of FY 2026, from 5.6 months to 4.45 months. Our examining attorneys also made great strides in reducing disposal pendency, dropping total processing time from 11.7 months in FY 2025 to 10.03 months in the first half of FY 2026.
Trademarks has achieved these goals despite a 7% rise in filings through the midyear compared to the same time period in FY 2025.
Looking ahead, the USPTO is on track to meet its longer-term pendency goals of four months for first actions and nine months for disposals by FY 2028. We’ll continue looking for ways to streamline the application process and reduce pendency for trademark applicants.
In a recent keynote address at the INTA Annual Meeting, USPTO Director John A. Squires provided a glimpse into where the trademarks market space may be headed and a forward-looking engagement model being pursued to address the rise in personal branding. Read his full remarks.
Improving processing times
The USPTO is implementing new tools and hiring additional staff to address higher than normal workloads and to reduce processing times, especially for Statements of Use (SOUs), Section 9 renewals, and certified copy requests. This includes:
- Implementing an automated processing tool to move SOUs to examining attorneys more quickly
- Adding the latest processing dates for both SOUs and Section 9 renewals on the processing times page
- Providing expedited certified copies for customers with priority filing deadlines. Customers can request expedited handling and upgrade any order to UPS Overnight by emailing dsd@uspto.gov.
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