TGIF for "Peer-To-Patent" Taming of the Application Backlog

According to a July 14, 2005 article in Wired Magazine, Beth Noveck, director of New York Law School's Institute for Information Law and Policy, aims to relieve the current system, in which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has a backlog of half a million cases. Noveck's plan would reportedly turn the review process over to tens or hundreds of thousands of experts in various fields who would collectively decide an application's fate via a massive rating system not unlike that of eBay.

"It's an interesting idea, and an interesting perspective," Acting Patent Commissioner Doll reportedly said. So-called "peer-to-patent review" is something "that could be done right now, and I'm a little surprised that somebody hasn't started a blog (for that purpose)," said Doll.

Perhaps Professor Novek could jump start the process by offering a free course on the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. Chapter 2100 on "Patentability" alone contains 234 pages of the most fascinating information that you could ever want to know. Of course, once you add a few examinations, some hands-on training, and an apprenticeship supervisory program, the whole thing starts to look a lot like the Patent Acadamy program at the USPTO.

Besides, didn't Professor Wegner already suggest a voluntary, adjunct examination corp drawn from registered practitioners and former Examiners like himself?

Thank Goodness It's Friday,

--Bill Heinze (e-mail, v-card)