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ARTICLE · 21 DECEMBER 2010

USPTO Selects Detroit for Its First Regional Office

Foley & Lardner LLP
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On December 16, 2010, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced that Detroit will be the site of the first satellite or "regional" office for the USPTO.

United StatesIntellectual Property
Jeanne Gills
Jeanne Gills
Chase Brill
Chase Brill
Andrew Rawlins
Andrew Rawlins
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On December 16, 2010, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced that Detroit will be the site of the first satellite or "regional" office for the USPTO. In a conference call with reporters, Secretary Locke joined with USPTO Director David Kappos and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to make the announcement and field questions.

Why a regional office? Secretary Locke and Director Kappos cited the backlog of pending applications — currently more than 700,000 — and the difficulty in recruiting qualified patent examiners to the Washington, D.C. area. According to the USPTO Patent Dashboard, on average the USPTO does not issue any substantive action on a patent application until 24.9 months after the filing of the application and does not grant a patent until 34.9 months after the filing date. Secretary Locke provided a goal of "one year review," according to reports.

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