What happens to original documents after recording in the USPTO Assignment Division?

According to MPEP 317, original documents submitted to the USPTO Assignment Division are handled as follows:

After filming, the documents are returned to the sender or destroyed.

This means that once the Assignment Division has processed and recorded the documents, the original physical copies are not retained by the USPTO. If you need a copy of a recorded document, you can request a certified copy from the USPTO for a fee.

For more information on Assignment Division, visit: Assignment Division.

For more information on Document retention, visit: Document retention.

For more information on Original documents, visit: Original documents.

For more information on USPTO, visit: USPTO.