There has been, is and will always be calls for improving the quality of patents issuing from the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).  With the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) recently finding that patent examiners are still prioritizing speed and quantity over examination quality, and with large numbers of patents being invalidated when challenged, the new USPTO director has his hands full to ensure that all patents are “born strong.”  Additionally, the current administration’s return-to-office mandate, hiring freezes, attrition and possible layoffs make reforms difficult.  With her long experience at the USPTO, Dr. Burke has many observations on the current state of the USPTO, and thoughts on how these and other challenges will impact inventors, innovators, tech transfer offices, companies and others over the coming year.

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