United States: USPTO PPAC Forms New E-Filing and E-Government Subcommittee

By PatentCafe Staff

Rick D. Nydegger, Chairman of the USPTO’s Public Patent Advisory Committee (PPAC) has announced the formation of a new E-Filing and E-Government Subcommittee to help advance the technology and process automation at the US Patent and Trademark Office.

This new E-Filing and E-Government Subcommittee will be responsible for working closely with the Patent Office to provide feedback and recommendations regarding current technologies and processes that the PTO is considering to improve its electronic filing process.

Andy Gibbs, CEO of PatentCafe.com was appointed as Chairman of the new Subcommittee. Steve Fox, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel Intellectual Property for Hewlett Packard, and Albert Jacobs, Jr., Shareholder with Greenberg Traurig, LLP, New York were also named to serve on the committee.

The PPAC is a 9-member committee established by the Secretary of Commerce under the provisions of the American Inventors Protection Act (AIPA). The committee is charged with reviewing the policies, goals, budget, performance, and user fees of USPTO with respect to patents, and is expected to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO on these issues, and to prepare an Annual Report to the Secretary of Commerce.

In 2002, Undersecretary of Commerce James Rogan notes that patent office customers said ""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." E-filing use has not improved appreciably since then.

Gibbs, currently serving in his second term on the PPAC said "If the PTO is going to succeed in increasing patent office efficiency and decreasing pendency, it will start with e-filing. I look forward to leveraging my experience with our IAMcafe.com patent management software to assist the Office in meeting its objectives."

Nydegger also announced the formation of two additional subcommittees, the Subcommittee on Proposed Rulemakings, and the Subcommittee on Outsourcing.

The Subcommittee on Proposed Rulemakings will provide increased feedback and reaction to the PTO as it goes through the process of its proposed rulemakings. In particular, the subcommittee will work with the Office on the ethics rules that are currently under consideration.  Members of this committee are Bill LaFuze, Chairman. Partner at Vinson & Elkins, Houston, Andrew Dillon, partner at Bracewell & Patterson L.L.P. and Rick Nydegger, founding shareholder Workman Nydegger.

The Subcommittee on Outsourcing will be responsible for working closely with the PTO to assist in identifying the appropriate benchmarks and in giving the PTO reaction and feedback to proposed plans in regard to initial outsourcing efforts.  Members of this committee are Chairman Jerry Mossinghoff, senior counsel for Oblon Spivac, Steve Fox and Howard Klein, Klein O’Neill & Singh.

PatentCafe® is the leading provider of enterprise intellectual property asset management (IPAM) software and informational resources for industry.

For more information, visit http://www.IAMCafe.com or to arrange an interview with PatentCafe CEO please contact Andy Gibbs.

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