USPTO eGrants Update: New Opt In Requirement for Physical Ceremonial Patent Copies

Effective March 9, 2026, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) implemented a recent change to its electronic patent grant program: applicants who want a physical courtesy ceremonial copy of a granted U.S. patent must affirmatively opt in when paying the issue fee, rather than receiving that copy automatically. This change is relevant for patent counsel and patent portfolio managers whose clients or business teams value framed or archival physical copies of issued U.S. patents, because the electronic patent grant remains the legally operative grant and the physical version is only commemorative. 

Background: USPTO Transition to Electronic Patent Grants

The USPTO began issuing electronic patent grants (eGrants) for all patents on April 18, 2023. Under the eGrant system, the official copy of the U.S. patent grant is delivered electronically rather than as a mailed paper patent. The USPTO described the eGrant process as a paper waste reducing initiative that significantly decreases printing and mailing needs, potentially reduces patent pendency, and was expected to save the agency nearly $2 million in annual printing and mailing costs. 

Patent recipients receive the eGrant in PDF format on the day of issuance. The eGrant is available through Patent Center, and the USPTO has stated that unlimited free copies of eGrants may be printed from Patent Center. The USPTO’s eGrants page similarly states that patent grants are no longer issued on paper or mailed to the correspondence address of record as part of the patent issuance process, and that the patentee may view and print the complete issued patent from Patent Center immediately upon issue. 

During the initial transition period after April 18, 2023, the USPTO continued to provide a bound paper version of the electronically issued patent as a courtesy ceremonial copy. Since the transition to eGrants, the USPTO’s Patent Alert stated that courtesy ceremonial copies had been provided automatically to patentees. That automatic courtesy practice is now changing for issue fee payments made on or after March 9, 2026. 

What Changed 

Beginning March 9, 2026, courtesy ceremonial copies of eGrants will be provided only by opt in. To opt in, the applicant must check the “Ceremonial Copy” box on PTOL-85 Part B, or check the corresponding option on the calculate fees page in Patent Center’s Web85B submission, when paying the issue fee. The USPTO’s PTOL-85B form includes the check box statement: “Applicant requests a courtesy ceremonial copy of the electronic patent grant.” 

For clients and internal patent teams, the practical point is straightforward: if a physical ceremonial copy is desired, U.S.-based counsel or the patent portfolio manager should confirm that preference before the issue fee is paid. If the option is not selected at issue fee payment, the client should not expect an automatic physical ceremonial copy merely because the U.S. patent has granted. Customers who paid the issue fee before March 9, 2026, will still receive an automatic courtesy ceremonial copy. 

Legal Significance of the eGrant Versus the Ceremonial Copy

U.S.-based patent counsel and patent portfolio managers should emphasize that the electronic patent grant is the official statutory patent grant. The physical ceremonial copy is a commemorative item only. The USPTO’s notice describes the ceremonial paper copy as a paper copy that commemorates the electronically issued patent and is reminiscent of paper patents because it is bound with a cover bearing the seal and the signature of the USPTO Director. 

Accordingly, clients do not need a physical ceremonial copy to have an issued U.S. patent. The eGrant is available electronically and may be viewed and printed from Patent Center immediately upon issue. If a client needs a certified copy or presentation copy, those remain separate products available through the USPTO Certified Copy Center for an additional fee. 

Practical Guidance for Patent Counsel and Patent Portfolio Managers

• U.S.-based patent counsel and patent portfolio managers should update docketing workflows, issue fee payment checklists, client reporting templates, and allowance instructions to capture whether a physical courtesy ceremonial copy is desired before the U.S. issue fee is paid.
• Patent counsel outside the U.S. should update reporting templates and allowance instructions to ask whether the client wants a courtesy ceremonial copy before the U.S. issue fee is paid.
• For cases in which a client or business team wants a physical copy for inventor recognition, internal corporate records, award presentations, or display, counsel or the portfolio management team should ensure that the Ceremonial Copy option is selected on PTOL-85 Part B or in Patent Center’s Web85B issue fee submission.
• For cases in which a client or business team does not need a commemorative paper copy, no opt in is required, and the official eGrant available electronically through Patent Center may be used for patent records and reporting. 
• For patents associated with issue fee payments made before March 9, 2026, the USPTO states that customers will still receive an automatic courtesy ceremonial copy.  For issue fee payments on or after March 9, 2026, the opt in should be completed at the time of issue fee payment. 

In short, the USPTO’s eGrant program means that the official U.S. patent grant is electronic, available in PDF format on the day of issuance, and printable from the Patent Center. The recent March 9, 2026, change affects only whether the USPTO will send a physical courtesy ceremonial copy automatically. Clients who want the physical ceremonial copy should affirmatively request it when the issue fee is paid.