Breathing Space for Patent Office - Breathing Space Blog

The National Research Council issued a new report on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which is beset with funding shortages and outdated policies. The report shows that vigorous competition among businesses “to file and enforce patents” is a major reason why the Patent Office currently is swamped and faces a backlog of 500,000 patent applications, added to approximately 350,000 new applications a year.