The USPTO has announced that it will continue conducting business as usual on Wednesday, December 26, after the conclusion of the December 24 and 25 holidays.

Last night, after the U.S. government failed to pass a spending bill, many of its operations shut down, including the Department of Commerce. The USPTO is part of the Department of Commerce. Even so, the USPTO has announced that it will remain in operation for a few weeks, supporting itself on previously-collected fees from patent applicants and other parties with matters before their agency. If the USPTO exhausts its funds before the government shutdown ends, however, most of the agency would also close.

We will provide further updates here as the situation develops. You can also watch for updates from the USPTO directly.