To authorize the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office to use funds made available under the Trademark Act of 1946 for patent operations in order to avoid furloughs and reductions-in-force, and for other purposes.

H.R. 3114 in the 111th Congress (2009–2010) became law — introduced on Jul 7, 2009, sponsored by John Conyers, Jr. with 3 co-sponsors.

During the 111th Congress (2009–2010), Barack Obama was president, and Democrats held majorities in both the House and Senate.

Status: Became law
Introduced: Jul 7, 2009
Co-sponsors: 3
Policy area: Commerce
Public law: Public Law 111-45

What it does

Authorizes the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to use funds made available for FY2009 under the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 to support the processing of patents and other activities, services, and materials relating to patents, notwithstanding provisions restricting the use of such fees to activities relating trademark registrations, provided the Director certifies to Congress that the us…

Summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.

Sponsor

John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI). Co-sponsors: 2 Democrats, 1 Republican.

Where it stands

IntroducedJul 7, 2009
Passed the HouseJul 7, 2009
Passed the SenateJul 16, 2009
Sent to the PresidentJul 27, 2009
Became lawAug 7, 2009

Latest action: Became Public Law No: 111-45. (Aug 7, 2009)

More bills from John Conyers, Jr. in the 111th Congress

Other Commerce bills in the 111th Congress

Committees

Judiciary Committee

From GovInfo bill records, Congressional Research Service summaries, Voteview roll calls and lobbying reports.

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Capitol Receipts, “H.R. 3114 (111th Congress): To authorize the Director of the United…,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/bill/111-hr-3114/to-authorize-the-director-of-the-united-states-patent (accessed 2026-10-17).