By Donald Zuhn –

In an email Patent Alert that was distributed this afternoon, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced that it has issued the one millionth electronic patent grant (eGrant), which the Office stated “mark[ed] a major milestone in the agency’s modernization of the patent grant process.”  The Office highlighted the benefits of eGrants, which include:

• Faster protection: Inventors receive enforceable patent rights sooner, providing greater certainty to invest, grow, and compete.
• Operational efficiency: The transition to eGrants streamlined publication times, getting groundbreaking technologies to the marketplace sooner.
• A modern USPTO: The eGrant reinforces the USPTO’s role as a forward-thinking, digital-first IP office committed to secure, high-quality digital services.
• Benefit to applicants and practitioners: The eGrant program also provides applicants with enhanced security, simplified digital records management, and global compatibility across IP systems. These improvements allow inventors and attorneys to access, share, and act on granted patents immediately, supporting faster enforcement, licensing, and commercialization.