Intellectual Property: Key Processes for Managing Patent Automation Strategy Need Stengthening

United States. Government Accountability Office.

United States. Government Accountability Office.

关键词: Government accountability -- United States.;    information management;    information technology;    intellectual property;    letter report;   

RP-ID  :  GAO-05-336
RP-ID  :  246741

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The volume and complexity of patent applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) have increased significantly in recent years, lengthening the time needed to process patents. Annual applications have grown from about 185,000 to over 350,000 in the last 10 years and are projected to exceed 450,000 by 2009. Coupled with this growth is a backlog of about 750,000 applications. USPTO has long recognized the need to automate its patent processing and, over the past two decades, has been engaged in various automation projects. Accordingly, GAO was asked to, among other things, assess progress to date and any problems facing USPTO as it develops the capability to efficiently handle patent information electronically."