Comments on: PTO Hiring Freeze and Budget Problems http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/03/02/pto-hiring-freeze-and-budget-problems/id=2099/ Patents, Software Patents, Patent Applications & Patent Law Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:33:50 +0000 hourly 1 By: J. Almeida http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/03/02/pto-hiring-freeze-and-budget-problems/id=2099/#comment-9844 J. Almeida Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:50:17 +0000 http://www.ipwatchdog.com/?p=2099#comment-9844 I am grateful for your blog and insights. I don't know about anyone else regarding the filing of new patents, I have a few patents to be filed and I haven't any and don't intend do do so since the ones that I have under examination are costing me a bundle since the examiners seems that all that is required is to issue a rejection without any reason even if the application is ready for allowance. Some we've file the 2nd RCE and the 1st RCE was waste of money since the first OA the examiner issue 102 and the art was wrong and the 2nd OA the examiner issue 102 again and she didn't consider one element of the claim. Just in case the claim was further narrowed and she simple said that she needs to do more search. Whenever the USPTO start issuing legitimate patents, I will start filing new ones. I am grateful for your blog and insights. I don’t know about anyone else regarding the filing of new patents, I have a few patents to be filed and I haven’t any and don’t intend do do so since the ones that I have under examination are costing me a bundle since the examiners seems that all that is required is to issue a rejection without any reason even if the application is ready for allowance. Some we’ve file the 2nd RCE and the 1st RCE was waste of money since the first OA the examiner issue 102 and the art was wrong and the 2nd OA the examiner issue 102 again and she didn’t consider one element of the claim. Just in case the claim was further narrowed and she simple said that she needs to do more search. Whenever the USPTO start issuing legitimate patents, I will start filing new ones.

]]> By: Knuckles http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/03/02/pto-hiring-freeze-and-budget-problems/id=2099/#comment-1682 Knuckles Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:58:59 +0000 http://www.ipwatchdog.com/?p=2099#comment-1682 So, wondering about the "hiring freeze".... Go to USA jobs and search under Patent and Trademark Office, the original call for patent examiners that was open last year on November, and for most of the positions (BME, materials science, etc) was suddenly closed on March 13th this year (rather than November 2009) is still open BUT, only for Electrical Engineers. Also, apparently other positions are open for hire, among them: An ECONOMIST !!! Hopefully, he/she will throw some light into the money crisis. So, wondering about the “hiring freeze”…. Go to USA jobs and search under Patent and Trademark Office, the original call for patent examiners that was open last year on November, and for most of the positions (BME, materials science, etc) was suddenly closed on March 13th this year (rather than November 2009) is still open BUT, only for Electrical Engineers. Also, apparently other positions are open for hire, among them: An ECONOMIST !!! Hopefully, he/she will throw some light into the money crisis.

]]> By: James http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/03/02/pto-hiring-freeze-and-budget-problems/id=2099/#comment-744 James Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:59:48 +0000 http://www.ipwatchdog.com/?p=2099#comment-744 Does anyone know when the expected end of the hiring freeze will be? Does anyone know when the expected end of the hiring freeze will be?

]]> By: Konstantinos Karachalios http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/03/02/pto-hiring-freeze-and-budget-problems/id=2099/#comment-720 Konstantinos Karachalios Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:51:44 +0000 http://www.ipwatchdog.com/?p=2099#comment-720 Of course, I meant "to separate the wheat from the chaff "... Of course, I meant “to separate the wheat from the chaff “…

]]> By: Konstantinos Karachalios http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/03/02/pto-hiring-freeze-and-budget-problems/id=2099/#comment-719 Konstantinos Karachalios Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:13:28 +0000 http://www.ipwatchdog.com/?p=2099#comment-719 Sorry, if I cannot follow the argument of the blogger. The task of a patent office is not to balance its budget by 'serving applicants' and granting as many patent applications as possible. It is to separate the weed from the chaff (I am sure the people at the USPTO will agree with this). This can only work if in case of doubt (to grant or not to grant?) the staff behave like public servants, having in mind public interest (avoid too many undeserved monopolies) rather than being driven by career opportunism (a grant is much easier than a refusal) or by monetary interests (client is happy, patent office receives money and is happy, so why spoil the game ? well, ask RIM). To put pressure on the USPTO to increase grant rate for budgetary reasons goes against the very basic social contract of the patent system and the raison d'être of a patent office as a public authority.. Sorry, if I cannot follow the argument of the blogger.
The task of a patent office is not to balance its budget by ‘serving applicants’ and granting as many patent applications as possible.
It is to separate the weed from the chaff (I am sure the people at the USPTO will agree with this).
This can only work if in case of doubt (to grant or not to grant?) the staff behave like public servants, having in mind public interest (avoid too many undeserved monopolies) rather than being driven by career opportunism (a grant is much easier than a refusal) or by monetary interests (client is happy, patent office receives money and is happy, so why spoil the game ? well, ask RIM).
To put pressure on the USPTO to increase grant rate for budgetary reasons goes against the very basic social contract of the patent system and the raison d’être of a patent office as a public authority..

]]> By: Bill Ralston http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/03/02/pto-hiring-freeze-and-budget-problems/id=2099/#comment-642 Bill Ralston Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:56:26 +0000 http://www.ipwatchdog.com/?p=2099#comment-642 When you take into account that the USPTO is using current filing fees to pay for the examination of patents filed many years ago, the true bleak nature of the USPTO budget becomes even more clear. 780K applications are awaiting examination, for which the fees were already paid and spent by the USPTO. Only a government agency can claim they are operating at a surplus when they simply fail to perform the work for which they were paid. As to the decrease in filings, don't forget that many corporate filings have a long lag time (as much as a year) from when the filing is internally authorized to when a final approved application is filed. From September 2008 to present I've been working down the new application backlog. While I'll file as many applications as ever in Q1, by Q3 I expect to be filing very very few new cases based on current new disclosure trends. When you take into account that the USPTO is using current filing fees to pay for the examination of patents filed many years ago, the true bleak nature of the USPTO budget becomes even more clear. 780K applications are awaiting examination, for which the fees were already paid and spent by the USPTO. Only a government agency can claim they are operating at a surplus when they simply fail to perform the work for which they were paid.

As to the decrease in filings, don’t forget that many corporate filings have a long lag time (as much as a year) from when the filing is internally authorized to when a final approved application is filed. From September 2008 to present I’ve been working down the new application backlog. While I’ll file as many applications as ever in Q1, by Q3 I expect to be filing very very few new cases based on current new disclosure trends.

]]> By: Carlos Guzman http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/03/02/pto-hiring-freeze-and-budget-problems/id=2099/#comment-537 Carlos Guzman Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:46:05 +0000 http://www.ipwatchdog.com/?p=2099#comment-537 Dear Gene: Thanks for having found such a great source of (patent) information! Seems that all national offices are facing budgetary problems by not having clear assumptions and a thorough understanding about the collateral demmage of the actual crisis to patent market. Recently, WIPO's new DG has established a Crisis Managemnt Group in order to monitor the evolution and potential impact of the global financial and economic crisis on PCT's income. Do you have any idea about a rational method to design a better budgetary model for corporations/institutions too dependants on high product/service concentration (i.e. WIPO: PCT and Madrid Protocol)? Thanks! Dear Gene:
Thanks for having found such a great source of (patent) information!
Seems that all national offices are facing budgetary problems by not having clear assumptions and a thorough understanding about the collateral demmage of the actual crisis to patent market. Recently, WIPO’s new DG has established a Crisis Managemnt Group in order to monitor the evolution and potential impact of the global financial and economic crisis on PCT’s income. Do you have any idea about a rational method to design a better budgetary model for corporations/institutions too dependants on high product/service concentration (i.e. WIPO: PCT and Madrid Protocol)? Thanks!

]]>