Patent Office Has Funds to Stay Open Three Months Amid Shutdown

The US Patent and Trademark Office can continue operating for about three months if the government shuts down because Congress fails to enact funding legislation by Saturday night’s deadline.

The agency would draw from its $1.04 billion operating reserves, which should cover about three months of patent operating expenses and slightly more than four months of trademark operating expenses, according to a submission it made to Congress in March. That would allow for full staff and operations to continue—at least temporarily—including at the administrative tribunals that hear challenges to patent validity and resolve trademark disputes.

The PTO is self-funded mostly ...