USPTO Requests Budget Increase, Expects Rise In Applications

The United States Patent and Trademark Office yesterday submitted a request to the US Congress for a budget increase in 2012 on expectations of a rise in patent and trademark applications and promises of reductions in application processing times.

The request of US$2.71 billion represents a 16 percent increase over the budget request for fiscal year 2011. The US fiscal year ends on 30 September. USPTO is unique in government for largely funding itself through fees for its application processing and other services. It plans to expand the number of patent examiners by 1,500 during the 2010-2015 period, and has set a goal of reducing average patent application processing time from 35 months to 20 months by 2015.

The annual USPTO budget request is here [pdf].

Strategic plan is here [pdf].