Patent Law Practice Center

Patent Law Institute: Hon. Sharon Barner’s Keynote

The 5th Annual Patent Law Institute has just kicked off and we are lucky to have Former Deputy Director of Sharon Barner here to give the keynote address on her experience in the United States Patent Office as Deputy Director  including the initiatives taking place in the Patent Office today as per the USPTO Strategic Plan”.  Here are a few of the highlights of Barner’s remarks:

Barner began by saying that a lot of activity was needed at the USPTO to change things believed needed to change.  The number one goal is to  focus our resources and more effectively improve overall operations and the time it takes to get a patent.  As a part of focusing on timeliness, focus on quality of a patent.  PTO needs to be properly funded.  USPTO needs to have sustainable funding model and end to fee diversion.  However, money alone will not solve problems, needs to be well run and well managed.  Spent time crafting “Strategic Plan” at Patent Office. Barner urged all patent practitioners to review the USPTO 2010-2015 Strategic Plan which highlights the USPTO’s goals and initiatives.  Wanted to make sure resources focused on activities that will actually drive down backlog and drive down pendency and they did this by setting priorities.   How are you going to make priorities real when you’re predecessors couldn’t,  we’re going to manage the priorities the way a business would manage priorities.  (more…)