The US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced plans to open four regional offices.
New sites will be established in or around Dallas, Denver, Silicon Valley and Detroit, as the office aims to further promote innovation and creativity in the US.
The USPTO says the new hubs will protect and foster American innovation in the global marketplace, help businesses cut through red tape and create new economic opportunities in each of the local communities.
Selection of the four sites was based upon a comprehensive analysis of criteria including geographical diversity, regional economic impact, ability to recruit and retain employees, and the ability to engage the intellectual property (IP) community.
“Intellectual property protection and innovation are engines of economic growth and the bedrock of America’s private sector,” said acting US commerce secretary Rebecca Blank.
“The Obama administration is committed to making certain our businesses and entrepreneurs have the resources they need to grow, create jobs and compete globally.”
She said the four new offices are “an historic step” toward further advancing our world’s best IP system, and reinforcing the US as “the number one destination” for innovation capital, and research and development around the world.
David Kappos, director of the USPTO, said that by expanding its operation outside of the Washington metropolitan area for the first time, the office is taking “unprecedented steps” to recruit a diverse range of talented technical experts.
This is creating new opportunities across the American workforce, he noted.
“These efforts, in conjunction with our ongoing implementation of the America Invents Act, are improving the effectiveness of our IP system, and breathing new life into the innovation ecosystem,” Mr. Kappos claimed.