USPTO seeks comment on draft proposals
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced it is seeking comments on its plans to increase the quality of IP protection.
The Draft USPTO Strategic Plan, which outlines the office’s goals over the next four years, aims to optimise the quality of patents and trademarks, and provide global and domestic leadership to improve IP protection and enforcement worldwide.
According to the plan, the office has prioritised a number of goals including increasing the efficiency of patent examinations and ensuring the Patent Trial and Appeal Board is able to provide timely and high quality decisions.
Other goals include increasing international cooperation and work sharing, such as implementing the Cooperative Patent Classification and ensuring optimal IT systems are in place.
Teresa Stanek Rea, deputy director of the USPTO, said the agency wanted to remain “open and transparent” and would be “responsive to concerns”.
Referring to the consultation conducted when implementing the America Invents Act, Rea added that “we need that kind of dynamic, interactive private-public partnership to continue, and that is why we would like your input on our 2014-2018 strategic plan”.
The plans can be viewed on the USPTO website.
Written comments can be emailed to: strategicplan@uspto.gov and must be sent by November 25, 2013.
A final draft is expected to be published in February next year.
