@article{46834,
      url = {http://tind.wipo.int/record/46834},
      title = {Intellectual property, Patent Office should strengthen  search capabilities and better monitor examiner's work :  report to the Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, House  of Representatives.},
      abstract = {USPTO examines patent applications to ensure that  inventions are, among other requirements, novel and not  obvious. USPTO patent examiners accomplish this by  comparing applications to "prior art", existing patents and  applications in the United States and abroad, and nonpatent  literature, such as scientific articles. Thorough prior art  searches help ensure the validity of granted patents. GAO  was asked to identify ways to improve patent quality  through use of the best available prior art. This report  (1) describes the challenges examiners face in identifying  relevant prior art, (2) describes how selected foreign  patent offices have addressed challenges in identifying  relevant prior art, and (3) assesses the extent to which  USPTO has taken steps to address challenges in identifying  relevant prior art. GAO surveyed a generalizable stratified  random sample of USPTO examiners with an 80 percent  response rate; interviewed experts active in the field,  including patent holders, attorneys, and academics;  interviewed officials from USPTO and similarly sized  foreign patent offices, and other knowledgeable  stakeholders; and reviewed USPTO documents and relevant  laws. GAO is making seven recommendations, among them, that  USPTO develop a strategy to identify key sources of  nonpatent literature, establish goals and indicators for  prior art search quality, and collect sufficient  information to assess prior art search quality.},
      recid = {46834},
      pages = {1 online resource (iii, 85 pages) :},
}