Information for nominees to the Patent Public Advisory Committee and the Trademark Public Advisory Committee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

The Public Advisory Committees for the USPTO were created by statute in the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO on the management of the patent and the trademark operations. The Advisory Committees consist of citizens of the United States chosen to represent the interests of the diverse users of the USPTO. The Advisory Committees will review the policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees of the patent and trademark operations, respectively, and will advise the Director on these matters.

Appointments to the Advisory Committee are made by the Secretary of Commerce, and committee membership will be posted here on the USPTO homepage.

Members of the Advisory Committees will be considered Special Government Employees, and will be required to comply with Summary of Ethics Rules for Special Government Employees--2005 [PDF]. Upon selection they will be required to file a completed Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) and a Certification of Status Statement [PDF].

Additionally, we have prepared a brief information sheet entitled Answers to Some Frequently Asked Questions about Public Advisory Committee Membership at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which we hope will be helpful to you.

Please direct all questions to Eleanor Meltzer, telephone 571-272-8600, by fax at 571-273-0464, or by e-mail at eleanor.meltzer@uspto.gov.

Thank you for your interest in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and this process.

• Summary of Ethics Rules for Special Government Employees--2005 [PDF]

• Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450)

• Certification of Status Statement [PDF]

• Answers to Some Common Questions about Public Advisory Committee Membership at the United States Patent and Trademark Office

• Notice and Request for Patents and Trademarks Public Advisory Committees Nominations [PDF] (01May2008)

• TPAC Charter [PDF]

• PPAC Charter [PDF]

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