U.S. Patent Office Goes (Almost) Digital

"We're saving in the multiple millions.... We can hire more patent examiners with the savings." Nick Godici, USPTO Commissioner of Patents, discussing the Patent Application Information Retrieval system in a Federal Computer World article on August 30 entitled "USPTO Goes Digital: After 200 years, patent documentation is searchable online."

"$876,000,000" -- The cost of the USPTO's data capture ("scanning") contract awarded to Reed Technology and Information Services (RTIS) Inc. for converting scientific and technical information into searchable Extensible Markup Language and image databases as reported by Federal Computer World on August 11.

"We don't like the e-filing system. It's cumbersome, it's not user friendly, and it doesn't work very well, and that's why we don't file electronically." We right now have about a 2 percent e-filing system for patents, and it just doesn't work." Former Undersecretary of Commerce James Rogan, speaking in 2002, according to Patent Cafe on September 1.

"Developing an e-filing system unique to USPTO would be counterproductive. Such a system would cost $100,000 or more and would not be compatible with the patent and trademark filing systems in Europe and Japan, where 90 percent of U.S. patent and trademark applicants also file for legal protection." Mr. Rogan was quoted as saying to Federal Computer World in a June 4, 2002 article.