Patent Office Employees Found To Have Wasted Their Time, Taxpayer Money

According to a report issued today by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Commerce, hundreds of thousands of the claimed work hours of patent examiners at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office cannot be reasonably accounted for. After a minute–by–minute review of data for 94% of all patent examiners’ claimed...

Where More Often May Be Heard A Disparaging Word

Just on the eve of its two–day holiday closure, the Federal Circuit has issued a notable en banc opinion holding that the provision of law that prohibits the registration of “disparaging” trademarks is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment’s prohibition on restraints on free speech. A nine–judge majority of the court reached the conclusion...