World Trademark Review has a useful overview of the newly-released 2014 Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Per the USPTO, the PAR “provides information on the USPTO’s programs and the results of the agency’s programmatic and financial performance for fiscal year (FY) 2014,” and “demonstrates to Congress, the Administration, and to the public the USPTO’s efforts to promote transparency and accountability over the resources entrusted to the agency.” While the patent side of the agency continues to face the challenges of a large backlog of unexamined applications and lengthy first action and total pendency periods, the trademark side “maintains record low pendency while meeting or exceeding forecasts for new applications and renewals.” Future goals for the trademark department include improved IT services, greater use of electronic processing for trademark filings, and proposed fee reductions for applications and renewals. Read the full article here, and the full 2014 PAR here.

By עדירל (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Reposted from World Trademark Review.