USPTO reviewed 362,227 patent applications in fiscal 07

K.C. Jones writes on USPTO performance:

The USPTO released its fiscal year 2007 Performance and Accountability Report Thursday, Nov. 15. It showed that examiners reviewed 362,227 patent applications, more than any other year, and that attorneys analyzed a record 323,527 trademark applications.

The average time from submission of an initial trademark application to preliminary decision by an examining attorney was below three months. The USPTO's patent appeals board upheld examiners' decisions 69% of the time, up from 51% in 2005.

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As a measure of success, Dudas pointed to a lower percentage of approved patent applications and higher rates of patents affirmed on appeal. In fiscal year 2000, 72% of all applications were approved, while only 51% were granted in fiscal year 2007. The office's focus on internal quality control accounts for the lower grant rate, and the quality of the trademarks was graded around 97% in 2007, [PTO Director] Dudas said.