VIRGINIA - The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is requesting nominations of qualified candidates to fill 18 recently vacated Public Advisory Committee (PAC) positions—nine on the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) and nine on the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC), according to the official website of USPTO.

New members will be appointed in May 2025 to serve terms for the remainder of existing vacancies that end in December 2025, 2026, and 2027, and will be eligible to serve a subsequent three-year term.

The USPTO’s Public Advisory Committees were created in 1999 via the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act to advise the Secretary of Commerce, as well as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, on the management of patent and trademark operations, including goals, performance, budgets, and user fees. Each Committee has nine voting members who are appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Secretary of Commerce. 

Nominations must be submitted electronically on or before March 31, 2025, at 5 p.m. ET.