USPTO Schedules Early Morning Maintenance Affecting Key Patent and Trademark Manuals

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has confirmed that it will conduct routine maintenance on its Reference Document Management Services (RDMS) beginning at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, September 26, 2020. The maintenance window is scheduled to last until 6:00 a.m. ET.

During this period, access to several critical manuals will be briefly interrupted. Specifically, the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (eMPEP), the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP), the Trademark Federal Statutes and Rules (TFSR), and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Manual of Procedure (TBMP) will be unavailable between 12:01 a.m. and 1:15 a.m. ET.

These manuals serve as foundational references for patent and trademark examiners, attorneys, and other stakeholders involved in intellectual property prosecution and appeals. The eMPEP guides patent examiners on examination policies and procedures, while the TMEP and related trademark manuals provide authoritative guidance on trademark examination and trial processes.

The USPTO emphasized that the maintenance is routine and intended to ensure the continued reliability and security of its document management systems. Users are advised to plan accordingly for this brief service interruption.

Additionally, the USPTO noted that any issues affecting remote employees during this maintenance period will be communicated through the agency’s internal system status platform.

The USPTO’s official website reassures users that it employs secure connections, indicated by HTTPS and a lock icon, to protect sensitive information during online interactions.

Stakeholders relying on these manuals for their daily operations should anticipate the temporary unavailability and adjust their workflows accordingly during the early morning hours of September 26.