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U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Review of Patent Work Processes and Organizational Structure
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
(posted: 9/15/2004)
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is to ensure that
appropriate safeguards are in place to protect interests of
authors and inventors. The patent process is significant for
the U.S. economy and the volume and complexity of this process
has grown rapidly in the past decade. This has resulted in increased
time to process patents and raised concerns about the quality
of some issued patents as well as the associated search process.
To help ensure that USPTO is on a path to
effectively achieve modernization, the House Appropriations
Committee, through the Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary,
and Related Agencies Subcommittee, has asked the National
Academy of Public Administration (Academy) and the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) to work cooperatively to examine
the following areas:
- The progress USPTO has made in achieving
its 21st Century Strategic Plan milestones.
- The challenges USPTO faces in meeting
these milestones-specifically those related to improving
the quality and timeliness of patent examinations, greater
reliance on electronic information and processing systems,
and attracting and retaining a quality workforce.
- The extent to which the organization's
structure and patent review process are appropriate to:
o fulfill the strategic plan goals,
o increase patent quality, and
o decrease the rate of patent pendency.
- The extent to which USPTO has a suitable
allocation and skill mix of employees.
The Academy's portion of the study
will review business processes and the extent to which they
contribute to the timeliness of patent examinations, the extent
of stakeholder confidence in USPTO's ability to manage its
workload, and how USPTO can improve communication with key
stakeholders so they obtain necessary information. Part of
the study will examine processes used by the European and
Japanese Patent Offices, to see if there are efficiencies
they employ that could be applicable to USPTO.
Academy Studies
Elaine Orr
Ongoing
The Academy has appointed the following individuals to
a Panel to oversee and direct the study. The public may
send comments on the composition of the panel for a period
of seven (7) days after the posted date to mditmeyer@napawash.org.
- Financial and Legal Policy Consultant; Fellow, Center for the Study of American
Government, Johns Hopkins University; Chair, Standing Panel on Executive
Organization and Management, National Academy of Public Administration; Former
Partner, Wellford, Wegman, and Hoff; Associate General Counsel, Federal National
Mortgage Association; Acting Director and Deputy Director, Office of Policy and
Planning, U.S. Federal Trade Commission; Director, Housing Research Group;
Director, Tax Reform Research Group.
-Vice
Chancellor for Information Services, Chief Information Officer
and Associate Professor, Stene Graduate Program in Public
Administration, University of Kansas, Lawrence. Former Associate
Vice Chancellor for Information Services and Associate Dean,
University of Kansas, Lawrence; Senior Associate Director,
Associate Professor, Interim Director of Libraries, and Assistant
Director for Collection Interpretation, Texas A&M University;
Assistant Director for Public Services, University Library,
Iowa State University; Assistant Director for Instruction
and Research Services, University of Colorado at Denver.
-Professor,
School of Public Affairs, American University. Former Director,
World Capitals Program, and Chair, Department of Public Administration,
School of Public Affairs, American University; Director, Urban
Affairs Program, Center for Urban Public Policy Analysis;
Director, National Center for State and Local Government.
-Consultant
and Contract Adjudicator. Former Vice President for Policy
and Advocacy, National Council on Aging; Associate Commissioner,
Office of Hearings and Appeals, Social Security Administration;
Director, Division of Continuing Education and Training, Federal
Judicial Center; Deputy Associate Commissioner, Social Security
Administration; Chairman, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board,
and Deputy Assistant Commissioner, U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office; Director, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration,
U.S. Department of Justice; Executive Director, National Council
of Juvenile and Family Court Judges; Director of Public Service
Activities, American Bar Association.
-Partner, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner,
L.L.P, and Chairman of the Patent Practice Committee for Intellectual
Property Owners. Former Deputy Assistant Commissioner for
Patent Policy, Deputy Solicitor, Director of Patent Examining
Group in Organic Chemistry and Biotechnology, Petitions Examiner,
Patent Examiner, Electrophotographic Materials and Processes,
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
* Academy Fellow
October 13, 2004 (posted 10/4/04)
Meeting 2:
December 14, 2004 (posted 12/1/04)
Meeting 3: March 2, 2005 (closed) (posted 2/18/05)
Meeting 4: March 14, 2005 (closed) (posted 3/8/2005)
Meeting 5: May 2, 2005 (closed) (posted 4/26/05)
Meeting 6: June 3, 2005 (closed) (posted 5/23/05)
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