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The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the sole federal agency authorized to grant U.S. patents and register trademarks. In so doing, the USPTO fulfills the U.S. Constitution’s mandate (Article I, Section 8, Clause 8) to the Executive branch to “promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to inventors the exclusive right to their respective discoveries.” The USPTO registers trademarks under the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3).



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