The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has unveiled the Trademark Classification Agentic Codification Tool, or Class ACT, an artificial intelligence platform designed to automate key steps in the pre-processing of trademark applications.
USPTO's launch of a new AI tool highlights the growing role of advanced technologies in government workflows. Experts will explore ways to operationalize AI in mission-critical environments and discuss responsible AI adoption at the upcoming 2026 Digital Transformation Summit on April 22. Register now to save your spot at this timely event!
What Does Class ACT Do?
USPTO said Thursday that Class ACT is designed to assign international classes, design search codes and pseudo marks to unclassified applications, making such applications searchable in USPTO systems.
According to the agency, the AI tool could help speed up attorneys and practitioner searches and reduce classification preparation time from five months to five minutes.
What Did USPTO Officials Say About the AI Tool?
USPTO Director John Squires said the tool can significantly reduce the time required for classification and design search coding.
“We're providing specific, task-directed AI agents, which can efficiently tackle the toughest, most information-intensive aspect of pre-examination,” noted Squires.
Rob Hayes, acting chief AI and data officer at USPTO, said the agency is setting the standard.
“AI done right: faster results, higher quality, happier stakeholders,” noted Hayes, who recently participated in a fireside chat at the Potomac Officers Club's 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit about the role of AI in modernizing the U.S. patent system.
“With the development and implementation of AI tools in our workflow, our employees can focus on applying their experienced judgment and reason to the substantive issues in examination, which will benefit our stakeholders,” said Dan Vavonese, acting trademark commissioner at USPTO.
USPTO said it plans to introduce additional AI-enabled trademark tools in the future. In June of last year, the agency issued a request for information to assess AI tools and other IT capabilities that could enhance patent and trademark examination processes.
