USPTO holds historic patent and trademark signing ceremony commemorating America's 250th birthday

ALEXANDRIA, VA-America's Innovation Agency, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), held today a ceremonial patent and trademark signing to commemorate America's 250 celebration.

"This ceremony marked more than a milestone. It celebrates the bold ideas that drive our great nation forward," said John A. Squires, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. "Patents and trademarks play a vital role in society, change our daily lives, and inspire a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs."

Read Director Squires' speech celebrating America's innovative spirit, embodied in the unveiling of the new Innovator Trading Cards.

The ceremony was held at the Commerce Research Library, U.S. Department of Commerce, formerly the home of the USPTO for more than three decades.

During the ceremony, the agency unveiled a new innovator trading card featuring the 41st U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Howard W. Lutnick, who also happens to be a prolific innovator and is named on over 500 patents.

The Inventor Collectible Trading Card Series, launched in 2012, feature drawings of various inventors and are designed to recognize patent and trademark holders throughout American history. In honor of America's 250th birthday, America's Innovation Agency is issuing a few special innovator cards-such as Alexander Graham Bell and George Washington, and now Secretary Lutnick-recognizing those who have positively impacted the patent and trademark systems.

The ceremony symbolizes the milestones built on the vision, effort, and innovation of inventors and entrepreneurs throughout the nation's history. Signed by President George Washington on July 31, 1790, the United States granted the first U.S. patent to Samuel Hopkins for an improved process for making potash, an ingredient used in fertilizer. The first U.S. federal trademark registration was issued to the Averill Chemical Paint Company on October 25, 1870.

Throughout the past 250 years, American innovators have saved lives, protected our freedoms, and created economic prosperity. Patents and trademarks have been central to that story. Learn more in our newly released documentary titled "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Innovation."

The patents and trademarks recognized at the ceremony highlight the growing and forward-looking innovations that help power the nation's future. The ceremonial patents and trademarks were issued under the USPTO's new patent and trademark cover design. All new cover sheets requested will be issued with the new "250" logo through and including the last Tuesday of 2026, December 29.