USPTO touts AI tools and backlog cuts as lawmakers press on morale, regional offices and trademark delays
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Summary
Director Squires defended USPTO efforts to reduce a historic backlog (he cited 837,932 unexamined patent applications), described AI pilots that provide prior art to applicants before first office action, and said the agency is addressing examiner morale while pursuing centralized outreach that closed the Denver regional office to save about $3.8 million per year; members pressed for data on certified-copy delays for foreign priority.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Squires told the House Judiciary Committee that the agency is deploying artificial intelligence to speed examination and reduce a long-running backlog, while lawmakers pressed him on staff morale and regional‑office reorganization.
"We just announced our first agentic AI trademark classification tool. Five months of manual searching is now a five‑second outcome," Squires said in his opening testimony, adding that an AI search assistant supplies a top‑10 list of prior art to examiners before a first office action.
The director also cited a historic backlog figure: "It rose to a, historic high of 837,932 applications unexamined," which he described as unacceptable and a driver of inspector workload and morale problems.
Ranking Member questioned low employee satisfaction in a recent government‑wide survey (cited at 13.8% satisfied) and asked what protections were in place so staff can report issues without retaliation. Squires said the agency has employee reporting mechanisms, weekly/monthly listening sessions, increased financial awards and managerial changes intended to improve training and supervision.
On regional access, members criticized a decision to place the Southeast Regional Outreach Office at PTO headquarters rather than in Atlanta and noted the Denver regional office closure. Squires said the closure predated his tenure, and he described new community engagement efforts; he also said closing Denver saved "over 3,800,000.0 per year." Committee members asked for briefings for leadership and for the PTO to work with Congress on any planned changes.
Trademark processing times were also raised. A member noted that the PTO aims to issue certified copies required to preserve foreign Paris Convention priority within seven days, but current processing times can exceed three months. Squires acknowledged past data-processing problems and invited stakeholders to submit requests directly so the office could expedite them; he said longer-term gains will come from AI tools that speed classification and search.
Squires described AI safeguards as "human in the loop": pilots such as the ASAP program deliver prior art to applicants before the first office action, enabling applicants and examiners to align early. He said the PTO remains responsible for examination outcomes and will keep humans involved in decisions.
What comes next: Committee members requested further data on morale, regional outreach plans and trademark processing times; Squires agreed to provide a briefing and to accept written follow-ups.
