The USPTO leads efforts to develop and strengthen both domestic and international intellectual property protection and advises the Secretary of Commerce, the President of the United States, and the Administration on patent, trademark, and copyright protection.
The USPTO:
- examines and grants patents;
- examines and registers trademarks;
- provides the public with a consolidated source of information about international intellectual property protection organizations on their International Intellectual Property webpage;
- is an active participant in the International Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Training Database effort hosted by the Department of State that is used to provide training and technical assistance relating to protecting IPR. The USPTO also provides training to customs officers from other countries on techniques that can be used to detect potential IPR violations;
- provides support for international treaty negotiations, and represents United States interests regarding intellectual property rights.
- provides an attorney-advisor from their Office of Enforcement to serve as an international intellectual property attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China.
