USPTO Budget Crunch Sidelines New Initiatives

USPTO Director Kappos noted Congress effectively cut $100 million from the USPTO budget.  As a result:

• Track One of the Three-Track program, which offers expedited patent examination and was scheduled to go into effect on May 4, 2011, is postponed;

• The opening of the planned Nationwide Workforce satellite office in Detroit, as well as consideration of other possible satellite office locations, is postponed;

• Hiring—both for new positions and backfills—is frozen;
• IT projects will be scaled back;
• Funding for Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) outsourcing will be substantially reduced;

• Employee training will be reduced;

• All overtime is suspended.

Trademarks is unaffected and will maintain normal operations. 

Comments

[record management]

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