SPTO's mission-focused strategic goals, which are: (1) driving inclusive U.S. innovation and global competitiveness; (2) promoting the efficient delivery of reliable intellectual property (IP) rights; (3) promoting the protection of IP against new and persistent threats (4) bringing innovation to impact for the public good; and (5) generating impactful employee and customer experiences by maximizing agency operations.On June 20, the comment period closed on the USPTO's Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking relating to Changes Under Consideration to Discretionary Institution Practices, Petition Word-Count Limits, and Settlement Practices for America Invents Act Trial Proceedings Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The comments can be found here.Notices, Guidance, and RequestsRequest for Comments Regarding the Motion To Amend Pilot Program and Rules of Practice To Allocate the Burdens of Persuasion on Motions To Amend in Trial Proceedings Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, 88 FR 33063 (May 23, 2023) (Requesting comments by July 21, 2023 regarding the PTAB’s Motion to Amend (MTA) Pilot Program and rules related to amendments during PTAB proceedings)Extension of the Option for Submission of a PDF With a Patent Application Filed in DOCX Format, 88 FR 37036 (June 6, 2023) (Extending the option until further notice for patent applicants to upload a backup PDF version of a patent application with a DOCX version)Request for Comments on Southeast Regional Office and Community Outreach Office Locations, 88 FR 38847 (June 14, 2023) (Requesting comments by July 11, 2023 regarding the establishment of an additional regional office in the southeast region (VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, TN, AL, MS, LA, AR) and four new community outreach offices)Interim Reduction of Certain Fees Paid to the USPTO in its Capacity as an International Searching Authority or International Preliminary Examination Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), 1511 OG 231 (June 13, 2023) (Accepting reduced payments for