The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced on Monday that the Rocky Mountain Regional Outreach Office will move from Denver to Bozeman, Montana next year. In addition, offices will be rebranded as Community Engagement Offices. The USPTO announced in October the closing of the Denver office, stating that the purpose of the office had changed over time, and citing increasing overhead and expenses as arguments for the closure.
In selecting Montana as one of several new locations for community engagement offices, the release states that “Montana is seen as “emerging as a national leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, with the Bozeman-Gallatin Valley region serving as the anchor of the state’s growing tech hub corridor.”
“Think of these as high-touch points of presence planted right in the heart of local innovation ecosystems—universities, start-up accelerators, incubators, tech hubs, and yes, even communities where personal branding and media presence are becoming pathways to economic opportunity. Where innovation is, we are,” said John A. Squires, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO.
The new Community Engagement office will cover the same eight-state area formerly serviced by the Rocky Mountain Regional Outreach Office. The eight-state area includes Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Nebraska. Colorado historically outperforms all other states in the region for patents issued and trademarks registered, with 3,645 patents issued and 4,435 trademarks registered in 2024. In contrast, Montana had 236 patents issued and 491 trademarks registered in 2024.