Another Banner Year for Trademarks

Guest blog by USPTO Commissioner for Trademarks Deborah Cohn

We’ve sorted through the facts and figures and at the end of our fiscal year September 30, we’re proud to report continued outstanding performance in our Trademarks business unit. In FY 2012, more new trademark applications were filed than any other year and the number of trademarks in continuous use exceeded 1.8 million registered marks. Total new classes surpassed 415,000—an increase of 4.1% over the previous fiscal year and more than 13,600 higher than the record level last set in 2008.

All the while, and for the sixth year in a row, quality and pendency results have met and exceeded targets. The Trademarks performance dashboard has been updated to showcase our record 2012 performance results, and I invite you to take a look at how the Trademarks team is working to serve you.

Our three quality indicators are better than their respective targets, which set high standards for examination quality. Our newest indicator, ‘exceptional office action’ continues to exceed expectations for evaluating the ‘excellence’ of the examiner’s writing, evidence, and search strategy in preparing the office action. Quality results are reinforced by constant feedback, specialized training, and online tools and manuals to ensure the quality of the trademark register.

First action pendency has stayed in the target range to issue a first action between 2.5 and 3.5 months from filing, every month. Pendency to registration continues to remain at historically low levels. Disposal pendency—the time from when an application is filed until a trademark is registered or abandoned—has been under 12 months for the past three years. Another record. This is due in part to the progress made from greater acceptance of electronic filing and use of TEAS Plus applications. This promotes more efficient electronic processing, which now comprises more than 77 percent of all applications processed to disposal.

As I’ve noted in the past and it bears repeating, our record performance is the result of a number of factors including greater use of the systems, tools, and resources necessary to manage new application filings electronically and by having dedicated and qualified people to manage them well. 

We welcome any feedback you have on how we can improve this dashboard. Simply email a comment to our dedicated mailbox. We look forward to hearing from you.