Slow. Slower. Slowest.

If it feels like the US government has slowed down, look no farther than the USPTO to confirm your suspicions.

It used to take the USPTO approximately 3 months to issue a first office action from the filing date of a trademark application. Over the past year, it has doubled to approximately 6 months (see USPTO link).

However, 6 months is lightning fast compared to the Canadian IP Office to review a trademark application. The current delay until the first office action is estimated at 16-32 months (see link).