Patent Office Tells Staff to Stay Home After Security Alert (1)

The US Patent and Trademark Office closed its headquarters Friday and told its staff to work remotely as it updates safety measures in response to the expected release of a former employee from police custody, which is now scheduled for next week.

The PTO, part of the US Commerce Department, circulated the name and photograph of a former patent examiner, who it said has made violent threats against agency workers, in a security alert email sent Thursday afternoon and reviewed by Bloomberg Law. It directed staff at its Alexandria, Va. office to telework on Friday, the day he was expected ...