The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published two new reports on Patent Office Activities along with the results of a major survey of 2,600 patent examiners.
- Patent Office Should Define Quality, Reassess Incentives, and Improve Clarity (GAO-16-490)
- Patent Office Should Strengthen Search Capabilities and Better Monitor Examiners' Work (GAO-16-479)
- Survey of U.S. Patent Examiners (GAO-16-478SP), an E-supplement to GAO-16-479 and GAO-16-490
Regarding patent quality, the GAO suggested that the USPTO's standard of patent quality should focus solely on the basics: defining "a quality patent as one that would meet the statutory requirements for novelty and clarity, among others, and would be upheld if challenged in a lawsuit or other proceeding." However, patent clarity must be an important element of that definition.
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