USPTO to Hold Public Roundtables on Patent Quality and Patent Quality Metrics

Washington – The Commerce Department’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in conjunction with the USPTO-Patent Public Advisory Committee joint task force on quality, is conducting two roundtables to obtain input from organizations and individuals on actions that can improve patent quality and the metrics to be used to measure quality. The roundtables, which will be held in Los Angeles, Calif., on May 10 and Alexandria, Va., on May 18, are open to the public.

“Quality patents are critical to the proper functioning of the patent system, and issuing high quality patents is a top priority for the USPTO,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos. “Quality issuances provide certainty in the market and allow businesses and innovators to make informed and timely decisions on product and service development.”

Commissioner for Patents Robert Stoll and Marc Adler, member of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, will act as moderators for the roundtable on Monday, May 10. The event will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PDT at the Los Angeles Public Library--Central Library, which is located at 630 W. 5th Street, Los Angeles, Calif.

Under Secretary Kappos and Marc Adler will act as moderators for the roundtable, which will be held on Tuesday, May 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon EDT. It will take place at the USPTO in the auditorium on the concourse level of the Madison Building located at 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, Va.

Any member of the public may submit written comments on USPTO patent quality enhancement and metrics as well as on any issue raised at the roundtables. The deadline for receipt of written comments is June 18, 2010.

The roundtables will be webcast, and information will be available before the roundtables on the USPTO's Web site www.uspto.gov.

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