U.S Inventors Uspto Patent Trademark Office Government Registered

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the part of the U.S. government responsible for "granting" (issuing; making and giving out) "patents" and "registered trademarks." A "patent" is legal protection for an "inventor" (a person who creates something nobody else has ever created) to make and sell an "invention" for a period of time when nobody else is allowed to copy it. A "registered trademark" can be a name, phrase, logo, image, or symbol that is associated with a company or product and legally protected so that it cannot be used by other companies or products.

USPTO is located in Alexandria, Virginia and "employs" (gives jobs to) almost 9,000 engineers, scientists, and others. It also has a National Inventors "Hall of Fame" and Museum as a way to recognize famous and "influential" (affecting many people) inventors in American history who have "held" (had) patents or registered trademarks.

The activities "conducted" (done) by USPTO are "authorized" (permitted; allowed) by the U.S. "Constitution," the nation's most important legal document, which states that "the 'federal' (national) government should 'promote' (encourage) the 'progress' (advancement) of science and the useful arts by 'securing' (saving and holding for a particular purpose) for limited times to inventors the exclusive right to their 'respective' (belonging to each inventor) discoveries." On its website, USPTO states that the strength of the country's economy depends on its patents and trademarks, which encourage Americans to continue to "innovate" (create new things and have new ideas) and work as inventors and "entrepreneurs" (people who start their own business).