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4w ago

USPTO to Permanently Close Denver Regional Outreach Office

The agency says expanded telework reduces the need for space, with leasing costs too high to justify.

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DENVER, CO - JUNE 30: U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, U.S. Senator Mark Udall, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, celebrate at a ribbon cutting as Colorado congressional delegates and officials attend a ceremony for the opening of the new satellite office for the U.S Patent and Trademark Office in downtown Denver. The office is slated for closure. (Photo by Kathryn Scott Osler/The Denver Post)

Overview

  • The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced the permanent shutdown of its Rocky Mountain Regional Outreach Office in Denver with no specific closure date provided.
  • Officials cited a December 2024 report favoring telework and virtual outreach, noting the Denver site had fewer than 10 employees and typically costs over $1 million a year to lease and operate.
  • The office served a nine-state region and hosted in-person resources such as a regional courtroom and pro‑bono support, which local attorneys say will be a loss for innovators.
  • No closures have been announced for the USPTO’s other regional locations in Detroit, Dallas, San Jose, or at headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
  • Questions remain about how Denver-based roles will be handled, and the announcement coincided with the start of the federal government shutdown but was reported as planned beforehand.