During the general government shutdown which began on October 1, 2013, the United States Patent and Trademark Office will continue to remain open and operate as usual though approximately the end of October. For the time being, the USPTO is using prior year reserve fee collections to fulfill its operating requirements. If these reserve funds become exhausted before the general government shutdown ends, the USPTO will be shut down at that time, although a small staff will remain to accept new applications and maintain IT infrastructure. We will provide updates as more definitive information becomes available. Given the uncertainty of the present situation, we recommend submitting any new filings or other actions as soon as possible.
