Patents and Trademarks

The Inventors Assistance Center provides patent information and services to the public. It is staffed by former Supervisory Patent Examiners and Primary Examiners who answer general questions concerning patent examining policy and procedure.

The Patent Electronic Business Center (EBC) assists customers with filing their electronic patent application submissions via the Electronic Filing System (EFS-Web) and with the review of patent applications in Public and Private PAIR.

The Trademark Assistance Center (TAC) is the main support center for all customers, from first-time filers to legal professionals and experienced trademark applicants. Although TAC may not give legal advice, it can answer general questions about the trademark process and the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) forms.