Lots of Support at Patent Office Three Track Public Meeting

Yesterday the United States Patent and Trademark Office held a public meeting on the so-called Three Track examination proposal, with everyone in agreement that the proposal is quite welcome, at least in principle.  On June 4, 2010, the USPTO published a Notice in the Federal Register setting out the preliminary Three Track proposal and setting Tuesday, July 20, 2010 as a date for the public to come to the Alexandria, Virginia campus to let PTO Officials hear their thoughts.  This public meeting proceeds the due date of written comments by a full month, and many of those who spoke explained they would continue to review the proposal and follow up with additional written comments.  For more information on the specifics of the proposal please see USPTO Announces New Examination Rules.

One thing can be said definitively: everyone thinks it is a good idea, no one has issues with accelerating applications (Track 1) or allowing them to remain on course as today (Track 2), but there were numerous concerns raised about applicants slowing applications down (Track 3).  The good news for the PTO, however, is that speaker after speaker highlighted the same or similar concerns, so it does appear as if there are a finite set of manageable considerations for the PTO to address.  In fact, the senior PTO Officials that I spoke with after the public meeting were extremely pleased and quite grateful.  I was told by one senior PTO Official that the points raised were all good and that the PTO intends to take them into consideration and address the concerns, along with whatever written feedback they receive.  What a refreshing change that will be!

Leading off the event was Patent Commissioner Bob Stoll, who spoke for only a few minutes and then turned the microphone over to USPTO Director David Kappos.  Kappos started off much the same way that he has whenever he speaks of of the Three Track proposal, by indicating that the Patent Office should recognize what the shipping industry has known for years; namely that not all packages need to arrive at the same time.  Kappos went on to explain that Three Track is about “giving choices on how to spend resources.”  He then went on to lament: “I wish I could tell you we have enough change underway already,” but that the USPTO is “years away from having [pendency] under control even with all we are doing today.”  This was a sad, but honest appraisal of the sad state of affairs, which is only exacerbated by the lack of appropriate funding for the Patent Office.

Kappos addresses attendees. From left to right: Arti Rai, Sharon Barner, David Kappos, Bob Stoll and Robert Clarke.

The first speaker up was Richard Wilder of Microsoft Corporation.  Wilder, ironically, did not have a power point presentation, which lead to laughter and a few jeers from the audience of about 125, which was augmented by the webcast audience.  Wilder explained that Microsoft strongly supports the Three Track proposal because it will allow for the prioritization of the most important patent applications and delay costs through deferred examination.

Wilder did raise some concerns associated with the implementation of the Three Track, and stated that Microsoft supported an appropriately high fee for entrance into Track 1 so as to discourage over use.  The logic is that if Track 1 is took cheap to pursue then everyone would choose Track 1 acceleration and that would lead to no realized benefits.  Similarly, Microsoft worries that USPTO resources will be diverted to Track 1, thereby making ordinary examination (Track 2) slower than it already is.

The most controversial part of what Wilder said, at least to me, was that Microsoft would like third party requesters given the ability to demand immediate examination of a patent application so that certainty could be obtained where necessary.  On top of this, Microsoft believes that those third party requesters should have to pay lower fees for a demanded immediate examination than would a party who sought Track 1 acceleration.  The logic, although quite tortured if you ask me, was that third party requesters shouldn’t have to pay for the examination, but rather just enough to deal with the review of a petition requesting immediate examination.

Obviously, the ability to demand immediate examination of the application of another has serious flaws, which some from the audience immediately identified.  One is that it would defeat the patent strategy selected by the applicant, and who exactly would trump?  The wishes of the third party or the wishes of the applicant?  How would moving between and among Tracks be handled.  For me, however, the bigger question was why should a third party who is attempting to defeat the will of the applicant pay less?  I don’t favor a third party being able to demand immediate examination, but if it were to be included the third party should pay for the entire examination plus a premium to make sure that it is not over used and abused.

Warren Tuttle, UIA President

While Microsoft was concerned with Track 1 fees not being high enough, presumably because Microsoft has no interest in Track 1 and sees it as potentially problematic if high-tech start-ups were to use it, as would likely be the case, Warren Tuttle, President of the United Inventors Association, had the exact opposite concern.  Tuttle spoke last at the meeting, and was gracious enough to provide me with a copy of his prepared remarks, which he largely read from with some ad libbing.

Tuttle explained:

Clearly the most significant concern for independent inventors will be the additional cost involved with pursuing the option-one, fast track application process.  One important concern is not just the money issue, though the extra cost may certainly prove a burden for many.  Of equal concern is the perception that may grow through word of mouth, and other viral communications, painting this reform efforts as one favoring larger companies.  The natural, intuitive thought process for many spirited, independent inventors may be that only larger companies, or wealthy individuals, will be able to afford the fast track.  A resulting populism may resonate if this issue is left unattended and… may even be used to potentially create ill will.  This needs to be addressed from the outset, to gain rational understanding and trust.

Tuttle went on to point out that “there appears to be no recognition in the proposal for small entity status,” suggesting that there should be such a small entity break in fees.  Tuttle also observed that Track 3 would not like be of interest to independent inventors, but that the UIA has no philosophical problems with Track 3 although it would seemingly only benefit those who are not independent inventors.

Todd Dickinson, AIPLA

Todd Dickinson, former USPTO Director and current Executive Director of American Intellectual Property Law Association, was also among the presenters yesterday, speaking on behalf of the AIPLA.  Commissioner Stoll called him to the podium simply saying “Todd, would you like to come up?”  Dickinson came to the podium and in his typical affable manner showed his quick whit as he said “thank you Bob, I realize like Cher I only need to be known by one name…”  Which prompted Stoll to quickly retort “is that Todd or is that Q?”  Laughter abounded, which was not the first time the audience engaged in laughter.  There was some kind of a comedy show or recital in the other side of the divided Madison Auditorium, which at times got rather loud, particularly during Dickinson’s presentation.  All of the speakers managed, and Dickinson once stopped and recognized the fun being had next door, and then continued.

Dickinson explained that the AIPLA has “great interest in [Three Track] as a proposal.”  He also indicated that within the AIPLA there are “many questions,” as well as “some enthusiasm and some concerns.”  On a preliminary note Dickinson pointed out that implementation has “the potential to be fairly complex” and such “complexity may present a challenge to the average examiner and average applicant…”

Not long into his presentation Dickinson addressed what for many in the patent community is THE big issue.  After going through what the AIPLA understanding of Track 1 is Dickinson explained it is viewed in a “generally positive” light, but that how strongly it could be supported depended on a few things; namely the AIPLA wants to see “a permanent end to fee diversion.”  There is concern that without an end to fee diversion the fees paid under Track 1 might not go “toward their intended target.”  The way Dickinson puts it is extremely kind and very politic indeed.  The way I would say it is that without an end to the siphoning off of money by Congress increased fees for Track 1 would wind up pay for a tunnel under an interstate highway for a turtle crossing or other such nonsense.  High fees paid only to be raided by Congress would be an extraordinarily tough pill for the applicant community, and Patent Bar, to swallow.

Dickinson went on in great detail regarding the proposal.  A few of his other points that caught my ears were that AIPLA has the exact opposite concern than Microsoft (siding with the UIA), fearing the fees for Track 1 might be too high and thereby seldom used.  The AIPLA also would like to see the number of claims for a Track 1 application increased to 6 independent claims and 40 total claims.  The AIPLA would also like to see fee breaks for small entity status and micro entity status, which would be consistent with current patent reform efforts, but as Dickinson did acknowledge later in a Q&A period the PTO has its hands tied on fees to a large degree by statute.  Another suggestion raised, and echoed by many, was to inquire about whether the PTO would pilot the program first, particularly since it is complex and quite a change.  Dickinson also suggested that it seems this proposal is to address the current backlog and pendency crisis, so perhaps there should be a sunset provision included to return to a single, traditional examination track once the pendency is under control.

As Dickinson transitioned into discussing Track 3 he pointed out that the AIPLA is perhaps likely to oppose the first filed application provisions, citing adverse impact on foreign based applications (which was echoed by 3M and others).  Dickinson also explained that the “Japanese have most significant and vocal concerns” due to the fact it appears as if previously filed foreign applications would be at a disadvantage and slowed.  The risk of retaliation toward US applications filed in foreign Patent Offices was cited by Dickinson and echoed by others.  Finally, Dickson pointed out that Track 3 “downplays PCT as a major means to achieve work sharing.”

Steven Skolnick, speaking on behalf of 3M, explained that 3M does support the Three Track proposal and offered the following guiding principles that should govern:

  1. Rules should not favor or disadvantage applicants based on size.
  2. Track 1 fees should be reasonable for applicants while still allow the USPTO to recoup costs associated with accelerated examination.
  3. Rules should not discriminate against applicants based on where application was first filed.
  4. One queue for all accelerated or prioritized applications provided a single queue does not undermine the reasons for having a multi-track examination system.
  5. Pendency of Track 2 should not increase relative to today and ideally should decrease.
  6. The maximum delay under Track 3 should be 30 months from the earliest priority date.

Skolnick also inquired about why Track 3 election cannot be made at any time prior to when the USPTO takes first action on an application.  To me this seems like a no-brainer.  I can’t see any reason why Track 3 election shouldn’t be allowed to be made prior to first action.  Perhaps the USPTO could even give applicants a courtesy notice in advance of taking up an application and asking if they want to elect Track 3 or some other deferment.  At least for the foreseeable future this could let less important applications slide and more important applications naturally advance.  On top of that, if the application is already published then society has had the benefit.  This was a good question/suggestion by 3M, at least in my estimation.

Han Sauer, BIO

Hans Sauer, Associate General Counsel for Intellectual Property for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), also presented and his presentation was quite compelling. Sauer set the table by explaining that BIO members share come common characteristics, such as the very long time to market for their products, the fact that their products stay on the market for a long time and the relatively few patents that pertain to any innovation. As a result, BIO members leverage IP to get cash from investors to withstand the likely 10 years they will need to remain in business without showing positive profit. Sauer summarized the BIO position early on as saying its members support a three tier patent system in principle, which would allow for more flexibility over timing of applications.

Sauer explained, and rightly so I think, that most BIO members will not be all that interested in Track 1, but there may be specialized situations where it could be useful. In those possibly rare situations Sauer explained that Track 1 will be warmly received by BIO because it removes disincentives to current acceleration procedures. With respect to Track 3, he explained that there is the elimination of some disincentives associated with Rule 103, “but PTA will always be there as an issue with BIO members.”

Listening to Hans Sauer (BIO). Left to right: Arti Rai, Sharon Barner, David Kappos, Bob Stoll and Robert Clarke

Sauer asked: “Does [Track 3] really provide prosecution timing benefits over the use of the PCT system?” He then went on to say answer his own question by explaining that it does not seem that Track 3 provides benefits when compared to filing a PCT application and entering the National Stage. He also pointed out that there are not PTA disincentives associated with filing a PCT and then entering the National Stage, thereby implying that Track 3 might not be that interesting or attractive to biotechnology companies. He also, like many others, questioned waiting on a foreign search, asking “can an application claiming foreign priority ever be fast tracked without waiting for a foreign search and Office Action?”

The other presentation I saw (and I did not see Doug Norman of IPO) was the presentation of Alec Schibanoff from American Innovators for Patent Rights. Schibanoff started off by saying that a one-size-fits-all patent system is no longer workable and similarly a one-size-fits-all patent is no longer appropriate either, spending a meaningful percentage of his presentation on urging for a three tier patent right with escalating rights and terms. Obviously, that cannot happen at this time because the Patent Office couldn’t make such a change, so perhaps AIPR is setting this up as an agenda item for the future.

Schibanoff said at one point “Track 1 favors large companies to the detriment of small businesses,” as if this is fact. Personally, I am not sure at all that this is true. In fact, I suspect the exact opposite is true. Assuming, of course, that the fee is low enough to be realistically used by applicants it would seem that Track 1 will most benefit start-up companies who have at least some low levels of funding from investors. It will also benefit independent inventors who are not on a shoestring budget and want or need a patent quickly. It should also benefit everyone if Track 3 can be made enticing enough for some heavy users to opt to give their line placement to others. Nevertheless, a good suggestion was to not limit the number of claims for Track 1 given that additional claims already demand a premium. The trouble, however, is that I know that some applications are filed with thousands of claims, which would crush any hope of expediting applications should any of those applicants wind up in Track 1. So the point is good, but I do sympathize with the Patent Office need to have some kind of a limitation, provided of course a continuation could be filed to go back for more claims.

While I have weaved my 2 cents in throughout, allow me to make a few observations. First, like so many others I think the Three Track proposal is an outstanding attempt to triage patent applications.  It will be critical to strike the appropriate balance on fee levels so that those who could most benefit from it, namely independent inventors and start-up businesses, can afford acceleration where that could make all the difference in obtaining funding from investors or signing a licensing deal.

Equally critical, however, is that acceleration under Track 1 not become nothing more than an expedited final rejection.  It is the view of some in the Patent Bar that historical methods of expediting applications simply lead to fast rejections and treatment from rushed examiners that is less than thorough.  In fact, one friend of mine has always referred to filing a Petition to Make Special as “waving a red flag” that tells the examiner to “reject me quicker!”  I suspect there is some truth to that perception given that it is easier to reject than it is to allow, and when time allowed for action is compressed there is a natural tendency to get work off your desk one way or another.  So the challenge will be to make sure that any accelerated processes that have an applicant pay a premium are going to be full, fair and honest consideration of the application on the merits.

Finally, I will observe that this entire proposal seems to me to absolutely require more people to opt for Track 3 than for Track 1.  I do think that is likely going to be the case if the Patent Office gets it right, but failure to take into consideration the PTA issues and real or perceived disincentives for biotech and pharma would spell doom for the success of the proposal.  There will likely be a relatively small subset of applicants who are willing to pay a premium for a very quick patent.  Universities, biotech companies, pharmaceutical companies and many others who operate on the frontiers of pure science or in highly unpredictable or long to market industries should love Track 3.  If for some reason they do not as a result of both real and perceived disincentives then the Patent Office will wind up being squeezed to do work faster but without anyone volunteering to give up their place in line.  So look for Patent Term Adjustment to be at the top of the list of things provoking written comments, along with fear that waiting for an Office Action in the first filed country will import foreign delays into the US process, thereby causing a cascading effect and exceptionally slow US prosecutions.

All in all I would characterize the mood of the PTO officials I spoke with as up-beat and the mood of the stakeholders in attendance was generally positive, but with reservations about the mechanics of Track 3.  After the event I too would be upbeat if I were among the senior ranks at the USPTO.  Those aspects that were viewed as negative or needing more work or clarification seemed few, were identified over and over again and should be addressable.  That being the case it seems the majority of the proposal is acceptable and the community remains hungry for these types of creative initiatives, which sadly is all we have given that Congress continues to be AWOL on even relatively meaningless reforms, let alone reforms that could actually do some real good.

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26 comments so far.

  • [Avatar for patent litigation]
    patent litigation
    July 27, 2010 05:15 pm

    It’s great to see the PTO adopting more flexibility within the patent system, and I think the three-track plan is an excellent start. I’ll be equally pleased if a day arrives when the USPTO starts to debate the potential merits of a system that offers even more flexibility by offering different types of patents with different types of protection and varying terms. Such a system could, for instance, greatly benefit biotech and pharma, which often seem to need longer patent terms in order to adequately recoup their investments. Of course, I know that such ideas will likely remain on the horizon for the time being. But it’s never too soon to start the discussion.
    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/may/25/patent-reform-misses-the-mark/

  • [Avatar for Blind Dogma]
    Blind Dogma
    July 23, 2010 08:30 pm

    Ron,

    You left out an obvious choice – don’t pay any more than today.

    While this may seem to not solve the problem, it merely refocuses it. Let’s give back to the Office all of the money that has been skimmed off by Congress over the years (with interest) and let’s let the Office keep its collections.

  • [Avatar for Ron Hilton]
    Ron Hilton
    July 23, 2010 04:41 pm

    Blind Dogma,

    Would you rather pay $2K more for every patent application, or let the “kings” pay $20K for fast-track which in turn would give the patent office more resources to speed up normal applications with no fee increase? The problem is that the $2K would become the “new normal” so we’d all have to pay it to be competitive and satisfy our investors, and the overall reduction in pendency would probably be about the same as having 10% (the “kings”) pay $20K. As an inventor and founder of two start-ups, I have personal experience in raising investment capital and you _have_ to put a value on your technology if you want to get capital. You don’t have the luxury of waiting years to find out the future market value. Smart investors expect you to make an educated _forecast_. If you wait for a patent to issue first, even a fast-track patent, you will have probably missed the market opportunity.

  • [Avatar for Blind Dogma]
    Blind Dogma
    July 23, 2010 04:26 pm

    Unfortunately Ron,

    the business worth of a patent is not realized well into the patent’s life and thus is impossible to correlate with any type of application processing fee.

    Plus you ignore the reality that fledgling businesses are more cash strapped than established giants (who are more than able and willing to throw cash around). Thus, the “benefits all applicants” does not hold.

    In other words, your answer backs up my supposition rather than defeats it.

  • [Avatar for Ron Hilton]
    Ron Hilton
    July 23, 2010 03:13 pm

    >“The fast track fee should be significantly higher,”
    >But wouldn’t this just feed the philosophy that patents are the sport of kings?

    The higher fee should be based on economic demand. In other words, it should be based on the business value of faster issuance to the applicant, not the cost of faster issuance to the patent office. In my opinion, probably about 5-10% of applications would actually need fast track issuance for business reasons. If more than than apply, the fee is too low. If fewer apply, the fee is too high. As a result, the added revenue from the fast-track fees would also help subsidize the regular track, reducing pendency across the board. That would benefit all applicants.

  • [Avatar for Blind Dogma]
    Blind Dogma
    July 23, 2010 08:20 am

    The fast track fee should be significantly higher,

    But wouldn’t this just feed the philosophy that patents are the sport of kings?

  • [Avatar for Ron Hilton]
    Ron Hilton
    July 22, 2010 09:42 pm

    Gene,

    I would agree that for $2K almost everyone would use the fast track. Which of course means it would immediately become just as slow as the current track and thus fail to solve the problem. Few start-ups need the fast track. Investors are forward-looking and fully capable of valuing patent-pending technology. The important thing is that the patent was timely applied for. In some cases a quicker issuance may be desirable, such as for a hotly contested technology by one or more prospective competitors/infringers. But that is the exception rather than the rule. Usually competitors don’t get interested until they see evidence of commercial success by an upstart in taking away their business. Even a published application is likely to go unnoticed until it materializes into a commercial reality. The fast track fee should be significantly higher, making it a business decision by the investor whether to factor it into the amount of funding required.

  • [Avatar for Stan E. Delo]
    Stan E. Delo
    July 22, 2010 09:15 pm

    Patentology and Gene,

    I might also be as bold as to applaud the fellow from Australia on his apparent wisdom in this regard. Patents are really just tools, it would seem to me. The entity in question will have to decide on a case by case evaluation of how important any particular tool might be. Whether it is a new lathe or seeking possible patented status is beside the facts in my opinion. The bright line would seem to be if acquiring a patent is a lot more expensive than being able to afford tooling up to produce real products at a price that most can afford. If you can’t or won’t do that, you are probably history anyways.

    Cheers,
    Stan~

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    July 22, 2010 08:43 pm

    Patentology-

    Good points. Let me see if I can get some info.

    One thing to keep in mind is increased demand. Right now many start-ups and small busineses don’t apply because it takes so many years and a patent is therefore not always an attractive vehicle to attract investors. If a patent could be obtained in 12 months for another $2,000 a lots more would likely use it.

    Sent from iphone

  • [Avatar for Patentology (Mark Summerfield)]
    Patentology (Mark Summerfield)
    July 22, 2010 07:48 pm

    @Gene Quinn: “The only thing that seems to make it more likely in the US is what I believe is a much higher percentage of small businesses and start-ups in the US compared with the rest of the world. ”

    Good point. The issue, however, is surely not how many small businesses and startups there are, but how many applications they file, and may wish to accelerate, as a proportion of the total.

    I could not find a statistic on this, but I did find that in 2009 the top 50 patent recipients accounted for 26,325 out of a total of 191,927 patent grants. Of these, 14,475 went to foreign entities, and 11,850 to US corporations. The total number of patent grants to foreign entities was 84,967.

    [ Links: http://www.ificlaims.com/IFI%202009%20patents%20011210%20final.htm ; http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/us_stat.htm ]

    Assuming that the top patenting companies and most foreign entitles will not accelerate, this leaves 95,110 patents granted last year to US entities outside the top 50. Bearing in mind that the bottom of the top 50 is 385 grants (more than one per calendar day), and small businesses/startups may be built on one key patent (or at most a handful — after about five years my startup client has about 12 families), it doesn’t seem that probable that the most likely candidates for accelerated exam make up more than 10% of the total.

    @IANAE: (on third-party exam requests)

    The system in Australia, for standard patents, is that any person may ask the Commissioner to issue a direction to an applicant to request examination, and she then MUST do so. There is no fee to the third party, and the applicant then has the standard six months to file a request and pay the exam fee. This mechanism is hardly ever used. I have never done it on behalf of a client.

  • [Avatar for Stan E. Delo]
    Stan E. Delo
    July 22, 2010 05:25 pm

    Paul Morgan writes in toto: “I agree with Gene on this one. A mere $1000-$2000 or so extra for the fee for track 1 faster processsing would be an insignificant portion of the budget and venture capital of almost any any genuine start-up these days. Not even the major portion of the total cost of getting a patent already.

    I also agree entirely, as I would very gladly pay an extra thousand bucks to get a granted patent in hand at least before it was published, so that I alone would be able to move on it first. Sorta like buying new tools, wherein it is pretty dumb to buy buy cheap tools if you can afford better ones at the time. Spend twice as much, but the more expensive tool will probably last at least 6 times as long, and do a much better job of it until it finally expires.
    Best regards,
    Stan~

  • [Avatar for Stan E. Delo]
    Stan E. Delo
    July 22, 2010 03:28 pm

    Ron H….

    Thanks for supplying the link, which looks to be very interesting. It looks like indeed it might be a very good document for the PTO to look over very carefully, to see if they can learn any lessons from it.

    Regards,
    Stan~

  • [Avatar for Ron Hilton]
    Ron Hilton
    July 22, 2010 02:22 pm

    The trailing parenthesis messed up the foregoing link. Here it is again:

    http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/lawreview/downloads/331/osenga.pdf

  • [Avatar for Ron Hilton]
    Ron Hilton
    July 22, 2010 02:19 pm

    Were any elements of Kristen Osenga’s multi-tiered proposal discussed? (see http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/lawreview/downloads/331/osenga.pdf)

  • [Avatar for Stan E. Delo]
    Stan E. Delo
    July 22, 2010 12:37 pm

    I think it came from a NSBA (National Small Business Association) study. I have been on their Economic Development (ED) advisory committee for a few years now, which has been extremely interesting to say the least of it. Here is a link from one of our newsletters. http://www.nsba.biz/content/3326.shtml

    Stan E. Delo

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    July 22, 2010 12:28 pm

    Just to echo Paul’s comments, if the choice is getting a patent whenever vs. getting a patent within 12 months, that further makes the cost only appropriately viewed as an excellent investment.

    In a lot of technology areas where start-ups need to find investors and funding there is well over a 3 year wait for action and getting a patent can take 4 or 5 years, sometimes substantially longer. So the fee really is an investment if you ask me.

    -Gene

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    July 22, 2010 12:25 pm

    Stan-

    Do you have a cite for that statistic? I can probably find some good stuff, but if you have it handy that would be great.

    I hope all is well.

    -Gene

  • [Avatar for Stan E. Delo]
    Stan E. Delo
    July 22, 2010 12:15 pm

    Hi Gene,

    One statistic that I heard lately might be relevant here. I found it somewhat surprising to hear that about 75% of new job creation here in the US comes from the small business sector, many of which rely on strong patent rights to support their business models. I am not too sure that the same high percentage of new jobs is true abroad?

    Stan E. Delo

  • [Avatar for Paul F. Morgan]
    Paul F. Morgan
    July 22, 2010 12:01 pm

    I agree with Gene on this one. A mere $1000-$2000 or so extra for the fee for track 1 faster processsing would be an insignificant portion of the budget and venture capital of almost any any genuine start-up these days. Not even the major portion of the total cost of getting a patent already.

  • [Avatar for IANAE]
    IANAE
    July 22, 2010 10:56 am

    While we’re pointing out some of the features of this system that are actively not failing in other countries, I note this “controversial” comment by Microsoft’s Richard Wilder:

    The most controversial part of what Wilder said, at least to me, was that Microsoft would like third party requesters given the ability to demand immediate examination of a patent application so that certainty could be obtained where necessary.

    In Canada, any person can request examination of any published patent application on payment of the examination fee. Yes, any person. Yes, the same examination fee the applicant would have paid.

    Sure, there’s the concern “that it would defeat the patent strategy selected by the applicant, and who exactly would trump? The wishes of the third party or the wishes of the applicant?” To my mind, the answer is simple. The entire patent system is a balance between the applicant and the public, and the public has a right to know what it may or may not do. If the public interest in a particular patent is so great that one member of the public is willing to pay the examination fee to get a patent bumped up to a faster track, that’s a reasonably good barometer. And hey, the applicant just saved the examination fee.

    Considering the Ankh-Morporkian business ethic of corporate America, I can see all kinds of problems with giving third parties a discount on examination fees. Could BigCo’s lawyer or subsidiary (who is not entitled to the patent) request examination on its own behalf? Could some random other lawyer on behalf of BigCo? I have no doubt that most third-party requests will come from law firms representing anonymous clients, since the requester would not have to show anything akin to standing.

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    July 22, 2010 10:35 am

    Patentology says: “what, if anything, is different about the US environment so that there would be reason to expect a significantly higher utilisation of a fast track process than in other jurisdictions?”

    The only thing that seems to make it more likely in the US is what I believe is a much higher percentage of small businesses and start-ups in the US compared with the rest of the world.

    Does anyone have any statistics on that?

    -Gene

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    July 22, 2010 10:25 am

    Steve M-

    I can’t see how Track 3 would provide a useful argument. I can certainly envision desperate litigators, which may be redundant, to bring something like that up. Patent litigators bring up everything and do a healthy trade in the obscure and ridiculous. I can’t imagine any district court judge would penalize a patent owner from exercising a right offered by the federal government. Choosing to exercise a choice provided by the government cannot have any gotcha implication, can it?

    -Gene

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    July 22, 2010 10:22 am

    “Delayed prosecution, sure. Fast track, only if there is no increased cost to small entities…”

    Please. Why is it so difficult for you to keep your comments intellectually honest. So you want the USPTO to offer FREE fast track to small entities, which is defined as an individual or any business with 500 or fewer employees. That is absurd.

    “This will just be another way to stall issuing patents to small entities.”

    Please explain how offering a fast track will stall issuing patents? Your answer assumes large companies want faster patents, which they don’t. If people don’t want to pay for service then they should wait in line just like everyone else. Complaining and stirring up the masses to achieve your own nefarious agenda is not helpful.

    “Does anyone really trust the PTO any more??”

    Yes, they do. Too bad you are on the outside looking in and too jaded to see what is really happening or offer an objective opinion.

    -Gene

  • [Avatar for Patentology (Mark Summerfield)]
    Patentology (Mark Summerfield)
    July 22, 2010 09:51 am

    I would be really interested in views from US patent applicants and attorneys as to why there seems to be such a strong belief that “everyone” would want to be on the fast track if there is not an appropriately-set fee. How many of you, or your clients as the case may be, would be lining up to take this option?

    The reason I ask is because there is no precedent, anywhere else in the world, for such behaviour. In Australia, as in Canada, Japan, South Korea, China, the European Patent Office (other than PCT regional phase entries), and many others, we have a system in which the applicant needs to file a request (and fee) for examination before it will join the queue for action by an examiner. This may be done at any time after filing, and must be done within five years of the filing date, or within six months if the Commissioner issues a direction. Directions are currently issuing after about four years in most cases.

    Once a request for examination is filed, the delay until the first office action is generally 12-18 months. However, a request for expedited examination may be made. Currently, there is no official fee for this, and no substantive reasons are required. Expedited cases are generally actioned within about two months.

    Very few applicants request examination early, and ever fewer request expedited exam. Examination is most commonly requested in response to a direction. Most applicants have no commercial incentive to bring costs forward, and thus the rational business decision is to let the application sit, unless circumstances change, or until action becomes necessary.

    The level of utilisation of the EPO’s accelerated search and exam program (“PACE”), which also has no associated offcial fees, has sat at around 5% for years (see my blog post on this topic at http://patentology.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-on-fast-track-examination.html).

    I am unaware of any great rush to request early examination at any other national office which has a post-filing request system. Certainly the vast majority of my own clients wait until close to the deadline in countries such as Canada, China, Japan and Korea. They just don’t want the expenses when there is no pressing business need for a granted patent.

    Any Australian applicant wanting accelerated examination at the USPTO can already achieve it, by using the Australian expedited exam process, and the PPH. I have only one client – a VC-funded startup – that has exercised this option, and in fact I am not aware of any other client of the firm for which I work that has done likewise.

    My experience with my own clients is exactly in line with your opinion, Gene: start-up companies with funding from investors, or prospects of investment that depend upon establishing a firm IP position, and small companies or independent inventors who have sufficent funds and who believe that securing some granted patent right will make them a more attractive lending risk, or investment target. For everyone else, the main business incentive would be apprehension of infringement, which rarely happens within the first few years.

    So, back to my question — what, if anything, is different about the US environment so that there would be reason to expect a significantly higher utilisation of a fast track process than in other jurisdictions?

    I can’t help thinking that there must be something, since the concern seems so widespread, but I have yet to see a logical reason articulated. Is it a cultural bias — are applicants just going to want a patent quicker because they can, despite the lack of any rational business case for acceleration?

  • [Avatar for staff]
    staff
    July 22, 2010 09:42 am

    Delayed prosecution, sure. Fast track, only if there is no increased cost to small entities, not if it means only large firms can afford. This will just be another way to stall issuing patents to small entities. Does anyone really trust the PTO any more??

  • [Avatar for Steve M]
    Steve M
    July 21, 2010 11:09 pm

    A thought comes to mind: What effect, if any, might there be in litigation regarding which track was consciously elected by the inventor/employer; i.e. could the election of track 3 give rise (and support) to a defense point / claim along the lines of, “See! You knew this supposed invention was of little if any importance or value . . . ’cause you were obviously in no hurry to get a patent . . . by explicitly choosing delayed prosecution.”

    “Why would you delay an invention on purpose?!”

    Or conversely on the patent-holder’s side: “See! I/we even paid a big premium to get our patent . . . proving just how important and valuable it is.”

    Would 3-track provide another useful arrow in a litigator’s quiver?