Transition Document for the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Summary
This transition document provides over 25 actionable recommendations on the future of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in order to support future federal leadership and enable their success. The document is the result of collaboration between the Day One Project and a group of veteran policymakers who convened virtually to produce recommendations related to the following three categories:
- Identifying specific policy and governance ideas that can be pursued in the first days and months of the next administration.
- Gathering “lessons learned” from those who have previously served in government to learn from past challenges and better inform future initiatives.
- Understanding key science and technology staffing and “talent” needs, and related challenges for the USPTO that can be addressed in the next administration.
The document also includes a cover memo which highlights some of the overarching key considerations for the future of the USPTO.
Contributors
- Margo A. Bagley
- Sharon Barner
- Brian Cassidy
- Colleen V. Chien
- Mark Allen Cohen
- Ayala Deutsch
- Ben Haber
- Philip G. Hampton
- Justin Hughes
- David J. Kappos
- Quentin Palfrey
- Arti K. Rai
- Teresa Stanek Rea
- Robert L. Stoll
- A. Christal Sheppard
- Saurabh Vishnubhakat
- Stephen Yelderman
Jobseekers, employees at smaller organizations, and local public workers need more than a weekend crash course in AI. They need practice choosing useful tasks, protecting data, testing outputs, and explaining where human judgment remains necessary.
“What excites me is that it’s very tempting to be very discouraged, and say, ‘Oh, we’ve got these archaic institutions that are calcified and you could never change them.’ But I think we’re in the middle of a technological revolution that will upend lots of things, and does provide a window.”
As Congress considers broader packages to advance critical minerals production and supply chain resilience, science diplomacy vehicles must be part of that conversation, not as an afterthought, but as an intentional and foundational pillar of any strategy.
“Structured partnerships with our allies on critical minerals innovation can ensure that the best science and the best talent are working together towards shared security and economic prosperity.”