New Detroit Office

Patent2011061

The USPTO has announced that the new Detroit Branch of the USPTO will be located in the old Parke-Davis Lab on River Place Drive and next to the Detroit Riverwalk. The office is expected open by July 2012 and emply about 100 individuals –  mainly patent examiner.  Prospective employees can e-mail detroitHiring@uspto.gov.  The new site is next-door to an Omni Hotel.

The City of Detroit has a population of about 700,000 — that includes only 21 active patent practitioners. General Motors is the only entity with a significant patent-attorney presence in the city proper.  However, the surrounding suburban area is thick with patent law professionals.  The Detriot site makes economic sense because the of the access to highly-trained but under-employed engineers, low cost of living, and low cost of commercial real estate. 

The USPTO is in the process of selecting two additional satellite offices.  Public comments on the location of the next two satellite offices is due by January 30, 2012 to satelliteoffices@uspto.gov.

 


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Patent2011060

43 thoughts on “New Detroit Office

  1. 42

    Weird coincidence department: The next issue of the JPTOS (due out in a few days) will contain a detailed history that I have written about the famous, century-old Learned Hand case, PARKE-DAVIS v. Mulford. The (very) short version of a pretty interesting story (with potentially big-time implications for Myriad): The 1911 case had nothing to do with the patentability of isolated products of nature and Learned Hand got the law wrong (as it existed in 1911–and was agreed upon during patent application that predated the litigation by a decade).

  2. 41

    This new office may add a new layer of corruption to the growing list of methods to cheat inventors they will now say it was just filed in the detroit office so you were second filer or there working on it now in the detroit office.Until we get immediate novelty checks global and my other integregy methods diling valuable inventions is likley pointless

  3. 40

    I wonder what year the building was built it was built I may have had something to do with the design. I definately should have had something to do with the profits for all my pharmacutical inventions. Hopefully the uspto will apriciate the sacrifice that the office coruption causes.

  4. 39

    Most either lament suburban flight and the decline of the city or revel in suburbia.

    I agree with Malcolm’s exclusive “or”.

    A well-kept city center is much like a church or an art gallery. Almost nobody goes in, but people feel better knowing it’s there.

  5. 38

    What was wrong with MM’s statement? I believe it’s accurate. Most either lament suburban flight and the decline of the city or revel in suburbia.

  6. 35

    Just lovley except the worlds only inventor of significance arguably moved out of detroit in 1960 so they needed to locate it in N.ft myers fla at the family estate of the hi federal and hi royal established 1807 the second settlement in north america where the discoverer of north America George Roberts established ft.Myers

  7. 34

    An examiner could actually buy a nice, old house in a half-decent neighborhood in Detroit not too far from there and afford it easily on an examiner’s salary. There’s a craft brewery within walking distance of that new office I believe. Chene Park is a nice little park and Belle Isle is pretty close. Away from downtown slightly so parking will be free/cheap. Good location for the office.

  8. 32

    Actually, @pmilatty, it’s not really a dump. It’s just empty. I applaud the effort to [actually] bring more jobs back to Detroit, as the Detroit suburbs are beautiful (as is Ann Arbor, which really isn’t too bad of a commute to Detroit), have always had exemplary schools, and, let’s face it, you can find a great house there right now for a steal. (And no, I’m not located in Mi, I’m an IP attorney in Nashville, before you start to think that I’m biased).

    I’m sure the building was chosen in anticipation of the growth of the office. Very cool!

  9. 30

    —using the lopped off bit of the R, and the spare hyphen, to turn the I into an O.

    Either that or DAVE KAR-PIS

  10. 29

    I know why they chose this building. If they turn the R into a P, they can rearrange the letters of the Parke-Davis sign to read “DAVE KAPPOS”.

  11. 27

    Come to think of it, are Canadians eligible to apply for Examiner jobs?

    From the PTO website: “Basic qualifications for Patent Examiners include United States citizenship …”

  12. 26

    Detroit makes economic sense? Really? Do you think it is just coincidence that the area has under-employed engineers, a low cost of living, and low cost of commercial real estate? The place is a dump and nobody wants to live or work there.

  13. 25

    From the air, the location looks prime. How about travelling to and from the office by relaxing water transport? Come to think of it, are Canadians eligible to apply for Examiner jobs?

    The EPO works just fine, in its 3-location format (Munich, Berlin, The Hague). Most hurt by the increasing number of EPO Hearings in Holland and in Berlin are the Munich patent attorney firms.

    Is it the mission of the Detroit sub-office to bring jobs, culture and big spenders to Detroit, or to bring down PTO pendency?

  14. 24

    Message to Rumple,
    Lemonade
    The USPTO could lease many floors for lets say 20 or more years for apartments, offices, stores, etc. Commerce II Apartments. Awesome view, close to work,excellent idea.

  15. 23

    either weirdly proud about that fact, or deeply bitter about it. Or both.

    Pot, meet kettle.

  16. 22

    Family of mine who live near Detroit never venture downtown anymore.

    This is true of most people who live near
    (but not in) large cities and who don’t work in those cities. And if you read the comments sections of online city newspapers, you’ll discover that these people are either weirdly proud about that fact, or deeply bitter about it. Or both.

    everyone has moved out of downtown

    6,500 people are wondering when they became invisible.

  17. 18

    You are clueless with political humor as well.

    If you’re implying that her intellectual capacity correlates with her political views, I am prepared to admit that I inadvertently introduced a political angle.

  18. 17

    It’s nothing to do with her political views.

    You are clueless with political humor as well.

    You really need to get out in the real world (quietly) or just stay in your tower (quietly).

  19. 16

    So everyone who “gets” to work there … will I presume (and hope) also receive complementary armed escorts to and from their heavily-fortified homes and work?

    Plus guns with training?

    Plus karate or kung fu lessons?

    Plus hazardous pay premiums?

  20. 15

    an irrelevant political angle

    It’s not a political angle. The joke is, and always has been, about her intellectual deficiencies as a person. It’s nothing to do with her political views.

  21. 13

    Next you are going to expect equal pay…

    That wouldn’t make me an academic, it would make me a client.

  22. 12

    Who cares about Palin?

    Oh wait, MM just has to stick an irrelevant political angle into the picture.

    Just as relevant as always…

  23. 11

    Next you are going to expect equal pay…

    So obviously an academic – Back to the tower with you, you freak.

  24. 9

    Since when do we compare “as a law firm” with a government office?

    Since we expect them to be as good at examining applications as we are at prosecuting them. Unless we’ve reached that point already, in which case it’s the lawyers who probably deserve less space.

  25. 7

    Since when do we compare “as a law firm” with a government office?

    Back to the tower with you!

  26. 6

    I’m sure it won’t help matters that they’re technically north of Canada.

    But at least you can see Canada from the windows, so those lucky examiners with the fancy offices will have valuable foreign policy experience.

  27. 5

    I wonder what management types and SPE’s etc. they are going to get to agree to move to Detroit.

  28. 4

    It’s about the same area per employee (~300 square feet) as you’d be completely unsurprised to find in a law firm. Plus I’m sure they’ve projected a significant increase in headcount over the course of their lease, so they’ll actually be much more densely packed than that.

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