On May 6, we responded to a request for comments from the US Patent Office (USPTO) about efforts to improve patent quality. Check out full comments here.
We not only emphasized our support for improving patent quality (by ensuring that issued patents satisfy the statutory requirements, do not impinge upon the public domain of prior art, are clear as to their scope, and have a fully developed record of proceedings in the file history) but the duty of the USPTO and every examiner to defend the public and to defend the future from the momentous external costs created by low quality patents, by diligently reviewing applications and weeding out invalid claims at the outset.
We urged the Office to focus its energy on creating data, training materials, and enhanced quality reviews targeted at reducing errors in allowances.
