If the federal government reaches “sequestration” on March 1st, Federal government agency budgets will be affected. As a part of the Department of Commerce, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office could certainly be affected. In fact, it is likely that it would be affected in some manner. But given that the USPTO budget is healthy and is sustained by filing fees, the effects would likely be small.
However, a slide from a presentation by the Chief Financial Officer of the USPTO on December 3, 2012 notes that ”
• USPTO has been deemed subject to sequestration, and the potential level of sequester is $242 million.
• Sequestration could also impact the overall condition of the national economy
which could affect filings and fee collections.
See slide 5.
