Lawmakers press USPTO director over trademark filings for 'Board of Peace' and fee waiver
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Summary
A committee member questioned why the USPTO filed and sought a fee waiver for trademark applications tied to a 'Board of Peace' domain; Director Squires said the office acted as a narrow custodian under 35 U.S.C. §3 to prevent cybersquatting and denied representing the president, while members pressed for documents and raised conflict-of-interest concerns.
A member of the House Judiciary Committee pressed U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Squires about the agency's decision to file trademark applications for a "Board of Peace" domain and to seek a fee waiver that, according to committee documents, was filed on 01/21/2026 and granted the next day.
"We acted as a custodian so that they could have the mark," Squires told the panel, saying the filing arose from a "cyber squatting" incident and that the office filed as a narrow custodial applicant under the department's authority. He cited 35 U.S.C. §3 as the statute that authorizes advising the president on matters of national security and intellectual property policy.
The questioning member asked whether Squires had acted as a lawyer for the Board of Peace and pressed whether the office's signature on both the waiver petition and the application created a conflict when the PTO later adjudicates marks. The member said the timing—filing and then approving a fee waiver within a day—"underscores the bizarre conflict of interest you're in now acting both as a representative of the Board of Peace and also the trademark office that's gonna pass upon the petition."
Squires replied that he did not recall the specific instance, described the agency's role as custodial and stated, "I was not representing the president of the United States, in this regard. I was representing a, filing an application to address a cyber squatting issue under my authority under 35 U.S.C." He said the USPTO was not the owner of the mark and that any ownership would transfer to an entity if and when it formed.
Committee members asked for the documents referenced and said they would provide them to the record. The board-of-peace exchange also touched on statutory limits: the member cited the Lanham Act's constraints on filing unless the filer is the owner or legal representative, and pressed whether any exemptions applied for the president. Squires said the authority came from 35 U.S.C. and the agency's custodial practice in limited national‑security or fraud‑prevention circumstances.
What was clarified in the hearing record: the filing fee for a trademark application is generally $350; committee staff pointed to a waiver request and approval dated 01/21/2026–01/22/2026 in the docket and asked for the PTO to provide supporting documents for the committee's review.
Provenance: The Board of Peace discussion appears from SEG 476 through SEG 664 in the hearing transcript.
