The GAO Reports on the USPTO

The U.S. Government Accountability Office ("GAO") has published "Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives" which summarizes the results of its Report GAO-05-1008T entitled "Improvements Needed to Better Manage Patent Office Automation and Address Workforce Challenges." Their conclusions include that the

• USPTO Continues to Pursue a Fully Automated Patent Process, but Has Not Effectively Managed its Strategy for Achieving This Capability.
• USPTO Lacks Essential Information Technology Investment Management Processes to Support Its Patent Automation.
• USPTO Has Taken Steps to Help Attract and Retain a Qualified Patent Examiner Workforce, but Long-Term Success Is Uncertain.
• USPTO Faces Long-Standing Human Capital Challenges that Could Undermine Its Recruiting and Retention Efforts.
• USPTO Has Made Greater Progress on Strategic Plan Initiatives that Enhance the Agency’s Capability Rather than Productivity and Agility