USPTO Has Opportunities to Improve its Patent Examination Process and to Advance Patent Decision-Making

For our final report on the evaluation of the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO’s) patent examination process, our objectives were to (I) assess whether patents are examined in compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, and case law; (2) identify deficiencies within the examination process impacting the quality of patents granted; and (3) identify areas for improvement within the examination process to increase its effectiveness and efficiency. We contracted with The MITRE Corporation (MITRE)—an independent firm—to perform this evaluation. Our office oversaw the progress of this evaluation to ensure that MITRE performed the evaluation in accordance with the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency’s Quality Standards for Inspection and Evaluation (December 2020) and contract terms. However, MITRE is solely responsible for the attached report and conclusions expressed in it.