Washington Times on paralegal issue at USPTO

In a post Patent workers paid to exercise, shop and do chores, investigation reveals , the Washington Times states


The probe by the Commerce Department’s inspector general found that paralegals at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s appeals board [PTAB]were paid more than $5 million for their time even though there was so little work for them to do that supervisors didn’t care how they used it.




The workers coded their time sheets for "other time" but “other time” was code for “I don’t have to work, but I’m going to get paid.”