As Director of the USPTO and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property, David Kappos is a busy, busy individual. Just look at the year the USPTO had in 2011: they issued more utility patents last year than they ever have in any year prior, they reduced the backlog of unexamined patent applications to below 665,000, and expanded the Peer-to-Patent (P2P) pilot program to strengthen the patent examination process. And don’t forget about the enactment of the America Invents Act!
Considering the success of 2011, it is of no surprise that Kappos is excited about the prospects of what’s to come for the USPTO in 2012. On Director’s Forum: David Kappos’ Public Blog, Kappos lays out what his game plan is for the agency in the new year. Below are the patent driven highlights:
- Reduce the USPTO’s backlog of unexamined patent applications, with an emphasis on resolving the oldest cases as expeditiously as possible. According to Kappos, “While reducing the backlog is an important goal in itself, it is absolutely critical to our Agency’s mission of fostering innovation, competitiveness and economic growth.”
- Educate and prepare USPTO employees with training, knowledge, and hands-on experience necessary for the continuing implementation of the America Invents Act (AIA).
- Have a strong and balanced IP legal department, through close cooperation between the Solicitor’s Office and the Trademarks and Patents teams, with proactive policy support from our External Affairs team.
- Continue the global patent law harmonization agenda via collaboration on key projects like the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) initiative with the European Patent Office, and the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) with Japan, Australia, China, and Russia, among others. The USPTO will also be working with the other members of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to “advance an international treaty protecting the rights of audio/visual performers, at what will be the first IP diplomatic conference in a decade.”
For the rest of Director Kappos’ blog post, “Full Speed Ahead for 2012”, click here.
Tags: AIA, cooperative patent classification, David Kappos, Patent Prosecution Highway, Peer to Patent, USPTO
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