Attend the next Patent Public Advisory Committee quarterly meeting on May 6

Join the USPTO for the next Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) quarterly meeting on Thursday, May 6, from 11 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. ET. Members of the public are welcome and invited to attend. 

The virtual program will include updates from USPTO executives on patent pendency and quality, innovation expansion, artificial intelligence, international outreach, and more. View the full agenda and watch the meeting.

PPAC was created by the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 to advise the Secretary of Commerce and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO on the management of patent operations. The committee’s nine voting members, who come from various backgrounds in the private sector, review the USPTO’s patent policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees and advise the Director on these matters.  

If you have a question or comment about the PPAC meeting or agenda, please submit it to ppac@uspto.gov prior to the meeting. 

The 2020 PPAC Annual Report is available

The 2020 Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) Annual Report is now available online.  

The report includes information on patent policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees. PPAC prepares the report to be transmitted to the President, Secretary of Commerce, and the judiciary committees of the Senate and House of Representatives within 60 days following the end of each fiscal year.

To learn more about PPAC, please visit the PPAC page on the USPTO website.

Attend the Patent Public Advisory Committee quarterly meeting

The next Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) quarterly meeting is on Thursday, May 7, from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. ET. The meeting is online only.

View the agenda and learn how to access the meeting by visiting the PPAC quarterly meeting event page of the USPTO website.

Attend the Patent Public Advisory Committee quarterly meeting

Attend our next quarterly meeting with the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) on Thursday, November 14 for a review of policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees. You can watch online or attend in person at our headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

Learn more about the PPAC quarterly meeting, including the agenda and how to access the meeting online. 

Attend the Patent Public Advisory Committee quarterly meeting

The next Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) quarterly meeting is on Thursday, August 8. You can watch online or attend in person at our headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

Learn more about the PPAC quarterly meeting, including the agenda and how to access the meeting online.

Patent Public Advisory Committee Fee Setting Hearing

On Thursday, Sept. 6, the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) will hold a hearing to discuss the latest USPTO proposals to set or adjust patent related fees. The event will be held at the USPTO's main campus and will be webcast.  

Interested members of the public are invited to testify at the PPAC hearing about the proposed patent fee adjustments. Those wishing to present oral testimony at the hearing must submit a request in writing no later than Aug. 31.  

Requests to testify should indicate the following:  

1. The name of the person wishing to testify
2. The person’s contact information (telephone number and email address)
3. The organization(s) the person represents, if any
4. An indication of the amount of time needed for the testimony.  

Requests to testify must be submitted by email to Jennifer.Lo@uspto.gov. Speakers providing testimony at the hearing should submit a written copy of their testimony for inclusion in the record of the proceedings no later than Sept. 13. 

Those wishing to submit written comments on the fee proposal should email them to fee.setting@uspto.gov. The deadline for written comments is Sept. 13.

For more information, including how to attend, please visit our event page on the USPTO website.

Patent Quality Forums and Chats and Patent Public Advisory Committee Meetings

The USPTO is offering several avenues for interested parties to learn more about patent operations and provide input about patent quality.

• Patent Quality Chats are a lunchtime free webinar series held the second Tuesday of every month from 12 - 1 pm ET. See more information including how to access a chat.
• Patent Quality Forums will take place at five sites around the country. The first event will be held in Washington, D.C. on November 3, 2016 and the Series will continue with events in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Kansas City, Missouri; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Portland, Oregon throughout the month. The Washington, D.C. event will also be webcast for those unable to attend in person. All Patent Quality Forum Series events are open to the public but require registration since space is limited. See more information.
• The Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) meets quarterly at the USPTO in Alexandria, Virginia. The PPAC reviews the policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees of patent operations and advises the director on these matters. You can attend the meeting in person or online. The next meeting will be November 3, 2016 from 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM ET. See the details at https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/events/ppac-quarterly-meeting?utm_name=.