On January 25, 2019, after 35 days of uncertainty and hundreds
of thousands of federal employees missing their second paycheck,
the partial government shutdown that went into effect on December
22, 2018 ended. Ramifications of the shutdown were felt across a
number of industries, thus creating a host of questions on a
variety of issues for many companies. One area that the attorneys
at Womble Bond Dickinson are closely monitoring for our clients is
this event's impact on the United States Patent and Trademark
Office. And, now that the government has reopened, we offer some
background on how the USPTO functions during a shutdown, as well as
practical suggestions about how businesses may consider tailoring
their intellectual property strategy during a time in which a
government shutdown may indeed occur again.
