A new, safer, and simpler login for EFS-Web and Private PAIR users
EFS-Web and Private PAIR users will now have a new, safer, and simpler login. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is moving from using PKI certificates for two-factor authentication. This is because the PKI software vendor will no longer support the authentication software product in December 2018. With this in mind, the USPTO now offers users better security with the new, two-factor authentication method using USPTO.gov accounts.
The new method grants access to multiple USPTO systems, including EFS-Web and Private PAIR, with one consolidated sign-in and eliminates shared credentials by providing practitioners and their support staff with their own USPTO.gov accounts. The
Migration Tool
is now available for existing PKI digital certificate holders (registered practitioners and independent inventors) to link their USPTO.gov accounts to their current PKI digital certificates.
Migrating your access
To successfully migrate, users must already have a USPTO.gov account. If you do not already have one,
create a USPTO.gov account
and opt-in for two-step authentication. Please follow the step-by-step instructions
to migrate and allow one to two business days after you finish the migration steps for the process to complete; you can then use your USPTO.gov account to sign in to EFS-Web and Private PAIR. Customer Numbers associated with the PKI certificate will be migrated to the linked USPTO.gov account. PKI certificates can still be used to sign in to EFS-Web and Private PAIR as well.Sponsoring support staff
In November 2018, the
Sponsorship Tool
will be available for registered practitioners to sponsor their support staff to work on their behalf by giving them access/sponsorship. The support staff individual must have already created a USPTO.gov account and set it to two-step authentication in order to be sponsored by a practitioner. After the sponsorship is complete, the support staff individual will be able to access the Patent Electronic System using their USPTO.gov account. Please note that practitioners will be able to sponsor multiple support staff at once. Additionally, any sponsored support staff is able to request sponsorships for other support staff so that the practitioner can quickly approve all requested sponsorships at once.To prepare for sponsorships,
interested parties should review the Patent Electronic System Access Document
as the source document for additional information on the authentication, sponsorship, and verification for accessing the patent electronic systems. Again, the new authentication process eliminates the sharing of credentials by providing practitioners and their support staff with their own USPTO.gov accountsStay up to date with these changes
Lastly, there are new URLs for EFS-Web and Private PAIR for signing in using your USPTO.gov account. You will need to update any bookmarks to the new URLs below:
- EFS-Web: https://efs-my.uspto.gov/EFSWebUIRegistered/EFSWebRegistered
- Private PAIR: https://ppair-my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair
Again, the PKI certificates are scheduled to be retired in December 2018, as thePKI software vendor will no longer support the authentication software product. The USPTO will continue to provide updates via information sessions held over the next several months.
Be sure to
register for the multiple information sessions
related to this Authentication Change, because new information will be added as it becomes available. For additional information, visit Authentication Change for EFS-Web and PAIR
. For assistance creating your USPTO.gov account, call the USPTO Contact Center (UCC) at 800-786-9199. For assistance with migration, contact the Patent Electronic Business Center at ebc@uspto.gov
or 866-217-9197.
