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USPTO Prepares for Possible Government Shutdown

What does the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have in common?

Answer: They both would be affected by the federal government shutting down.

However, both would be partly operational. As reported here, the Cherry Blossom Festival parade would go ahead as scheduled but would avoid federal property (not easy to do in Washington DC). Meanwhile, the Patent Office has issued the following press release, noting that it would be open as usual for six business days, then non-essential employees would be sent home. According to the press release, the Electronic Filing System (EFS) would be operation during a shut down.

In the event of a government shutdown on April 9, 2011, the United States Patent and Trademark Office will remain open and continue to operate as usual for a period of six business days – through Monday, April 18, 2011 — because the USPTO has enough available reserves, not linked to the current fiscal year, to remain in operation until then. Should a shutdown occur and continue longer than the six-day period, we anticipate that limited staff will be able to continue to work to accept new electronic applications and maintain IT infrastructure, among other functions.  More information will be posted on this website as it becomes available. Thank you.