Eric Perrott Participates in Expert Roundtable for World Trademark Review

As the USPTO redefines its priorities in 2026, World Trademark Review convened a panel of five leading trademark professionals to discuss which issues the agency should focus on.

Eric Perrott participated in the expert roundtable and weighed in on WTR’s questions.

WTR: What changes or improvements would you most like to see at the USPTO over the coming year?

Eric Perrott: “I would like to see a rebalancing of resources. The USPTO has pushed hard to decrease initial examination times, but unfortunately, that speed has come at the cost of processing everything else. We are seeing unsustainable delays in Statement of Use reviews (currently six months), renewal processing (also six months), and Petitions (widely differing processing times depending on the petition type.) While I am very happy initial review times are down, the ecosystem is not healthy if the rest of the Trademark Division is delayed. We need a full-USPTO approach to reducing processing times, not just a fast front-end. Further, the USPTO’s technology is still lacking – TEAS and the Trademark Center are still existing in tandem, and there haven’t been clear updates about when the remaining forms will be modernised.”

WTR: What concerns do you have – if any – about the office’s direction over the next 12 months, and how do you think these could best be addressed?

Eric Perrott: “My primary concern is the morale of USPTO employees. Examining attorneys and staff felt the immense stress of the DOGE reductions and buyouts, and I believe history will look poorly on how that programme was executed. Consequently, the USPTO has suffered a ‘brain drain,’ losing a ton of excellent talent and institutional knowledge. Addressing this requires a commitment to stability. They now need to hire and train new attorneys who are likely worried about further attacks on remote work and benefits. You cannot rebuild a workforce while simultaneously threatening the conditions of their employment.”

WTR: The new leadership has talked about getting back to basics and tightening internal operations, including staff reductions and the end of remote working. What effect do you expect this to have on the trademark examination process, and are there any risks that the USPTO needs to guard against.

Eric Perrott: “Ending remote work and reducing trademark staff would be a strategic mistake. The USPTO pioneered telework within the federal government, and due to this flexibility, it attracted talented attorneys who might not have otherwise considered a government career path. Remote work transformed these roles into long-term careers that reward experience, rather than quick stops on a career ladder. If you remove that incentive, you risk turning the USPTO into a revolving door of inexperienced staff.”

WTR: If you could send one message to USPTO leadership as it looks ahead, what would it be?

Eric Perrott: “Treat your workers with respect. The underlying approach taken to ‘eliminating waste’ was based on a widespread misunderstanding of the role of federal workers and has significantly set the country back. Instead of evidence-based, targeted cuts, the goal appeared to be demoralising employees into quitting. Leadership must now repair that damage. To convince new employees to buy into the USPTO’s culture, they must first demonstrate that the people doing the work are valued.”

Source: World Trademark Review. https://www.worldtrademarkreview.com. “The future of the USPTO: expert roundtable on priorities, pressures and possibilities”. 9 January 2026