PTO Announces Riverfront Office Space for Detroit Satellite Office

USPTO Announces Location for Elijah J. McCoy Satellite Office in Detroit

Riverfront office space confirmed; Agency targets July 2012 opening

WASHINGTON—The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced on January 10, 2012 that it has concluded a five-year lease agreement through the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Great Lakes Region for a 31,000 square foot space to be located at 300 River Place Dr. in Detroit, Michigan 48207. The building, listed on the National Historic Registry, was the former home to Parke-Davis Laboratories as well as the Stroh’s Brewery Headquarters.

“Today marks the beginning of an important new chapter in the agency’s 200-plus year history,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office David Kappos. “We are expanding our operation outside of the Washington metropolitan area as part of our ongoing effort to recruit and retain the nation’s top professionals.”

The agency plans to open the Elijah J. McCoy United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO-Detroit Office) no later than July 2012. The USPTO Detroit Office is expected to create more than 100 high-paying, high-skill jobs in its first year and provide a boost to the region’s innovation economy.

The USPTO will be building out the new facilities to Agency specifications during the next few months and expects to post vacancy announcements for patent examiner positions this spring. Prospective employees should email detroithiring@uspto.gov for more information.

Subject to available resources and as provided for in the America Invents Act, the USPTO intends to establish at least two more satellite offices in addition the USPTO-Detroit office in the next three years.

The USPTO has called for public comments regarding these additional satellite offices. Comments should be submitted by January 30, 2012 to satelliteoffices@uspto.gov or as otherwise dictated in the USPTO’s Federal Register notice.

For non-press inquiries, contact Azam Khan, Deputy Chief of Staff, United States Patent and Trademark Office at azam.khan@uspto.gov.

 

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Editorial Note:

For more information on the PTO request for comments on satellite offices see USPTO Seeks Comments on Future Locations for Satellite Offices.

To read Gene’s top 10 recommendations for locations of additional satellite patent offices please see Top 10 Locations the PTO Should Consider for Satellite Offices.

 

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3 comments so far.

  • [Avatar for Mr. Xaminer]
    Mr. Xaminer
    January 13, 2012 10:55 am

    Godzilla,

    I agree 100% with everything you pointed out. My main point is that they should have put the location in downtown (say near the “financial district” or Campus Martius) to make it more way desirable (as much as Detroit can be) for anyone working there (even the few examiners who will remain) and, more importantly, for any patent practitioners that may visit the facility for interviews, etc. The few Detroiters who will get a job as an examiner will ultimately live very well on the examiner salary in MI so I’m sure they’ll deal with any of the negatives.

  • [Avatar for Godzilla Muchero]
    Godzilla Muchero
    January 13, 2012 08:19 am

    <<What an awful location!!

    The Alexandria office has what ~50% of eligible employees work from home. One can imagine that the
    Detroit office percentage will be like ~70-80%, so few will likely even work in the Detroit office.

    <>the Detroit PTO employees will hate working there!

    I can see a lot of reasons to hate working in Detroit. I can see hating a commute to downtown. I can see fear of Detroit police as they occassionally catch Detroit police on camera beating up law abiding people. I can see the lack of enthusiasm of driving past burned out and abandoned buildings. I can see hating to pay the Detroit city tax. I can see the desire to avoid bums trying to solicit money from you, and bums who call you out “hey, I see you”, as you pass them but give them no money. I can see wanting to avoid any racism of being non-black person in a city of 90% black people (as violent people may feel more comfortable attacking those who are outsiders and different, no offense meant to black people, as the same holds for black people who travel to 90% non-black cities). I can see not wanting to be around people who are generally of a much lower socio-economic level.

    However, I can also see a whole lot of super-grateful people who would love to have a high-paying job working for the government. These people just need to suck-it-up for a few years then join a work-anywhere program.

  • [Avatar for Mr. Xaminer]
    Mr. Xaminer
    January 11, 2012 10:25 pm

    What an awful location!! This is what happens when non-Detroit people probably made the final call in picking the location. Instead of picking a place in the central business district downtown (there’s plenty of open office space, especially for 100 workers) where there are many restaurants within walking distance for lunch or dinner, several new apartments and lofts, festive events and access to the People Mover (Detroit’s elevated train that loops around downtown) they put the location in an old industrial warehouse “cleanup” district which is approximately a mile away from downtown. The main access road of the chosen location is Jefferson Ave which is totally ghetto and very few employees will be even willing to go walking (except for the river walk) so one has to drive everywhere. Isn’t that part of the benefit of working in a city??!! Convenience ? Being able to (safely) walk somewhere for lunch? Yes, the Detroit river walk is out front, but one would have to walk nearly a mile on the river walk just to get to the Ren Cen (GM headquarters complex) which has several shops and restaurants. Mark my words, the Detroit PTO employees will hate working there! Maybe they should just have put the PTO office with GM anyway, since the government already runs them.