Appendix VI – USPTO 2014-2018 Strategic Plan* GOAL I: OPTIMIZE PATENT QUALITY AND TIMELINESS Objective 1: Refine Optimal Patent Pendency Objective 2: Increase Efficiencies and Patent Examination Capacity to Align with the Optimal Patent Pendency Objective 3: Increase International Cooperation and Work Sharing Objective 4: Continue to Enhance Patent Quality Work with stakeholders to refine long-term pendency goals, while considering requirements of the intellectual property (IP) community Continue to refine patent pendency metrics throughout the examination process and provide increased transparency of those metrics Hire/retain a nationwide workforce to meet pendency targets Develop and train an adaptable workforce to respond to emerging technologies, Office priorities, and the evolution of law Enhance compact prosecution initiatives Offer patent application prosecution options Fully implement Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) Leverage the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) to effectively use the work completed at the international stage Maximize use of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) to increase sharing and re-use of information between USPTO and its partner offices Implement the Global Dossier, which will improve examiner and external stakeholder access to work products of other IP offices to exploit the efficiencies that sharing search and examination results will provide Evaluate and refine the measurement of patent quality data Maximize usage of patent quality data Evaluate effectiveness of changes to the count system and performance appraisal plans; make additional modifications as needed Continually improve and provide timely technical and legal training *The USPTO is developing a new Strategic Plan, expected to be released by the Summer of 2018.
GOAL II: OPTIMIZE TRADEMARK QUALITY AND TIMELINESS Objective 1: Maintain Trademark First Action Pendency on Average Between 2.5-3.5 Months with 12 Months Final Pendency Objective 2: Maintain High Trademark Quality Objective 3: Ensure Optimal IT Service Delivery to All Users Objective 4: Continue and Enhance Stakeholder and Public Outreach Objective 5: Enhance Operations of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) Align examination capacity with incoming workloads Continue to define and validate optimal pendencies Work with stakeholders to develop long term pendency goals that increase examination efficiency, maintain an optimal pendency level, and meet the expectations of the IP community Continually maintain and improve quality measurements by: continually evaluating examination quality; providing targeted training to address quality issues; and providing legal training and education Modernize IT systems by developing and implementing the Trademark Next Generation (TMNG) IT system to create full electronic workflow, and IT resources for external and internal users Continue to provide optimal service on legacy systems to employees and public users Expand outreach to stakeholders by providing opportunities for interaction and updates on Trademark operations and other important issues Assist in providing access to pro bono trademark legal services through USPTO’s law school clinic program Encourage use of the Federal registration system for trademark owners who are unfamiliar with the application and registration maintenance processes Engage stakeholders to ensure integrity of the register Develop consistent pendency measures and reduce overall pendency for appeal and trial cases Enhance quality of TTAB orders and opinions, and contribute to development of the law through issuance of precedential decisions Expand outreach to stakeholders by providing opportunities for interaction and updates on TTAB operations and other important issues
collaboration and information sharing Enhance the internal and external user experience; for example, by developing user-driven products, including those accessible in a mobile environment Evolve and improve IT infrastructure and services Continue to provide transparent operations, processes, and information Deliver cost-effective and seamless next generation IT solutions; including, integrations of Patent End-to-End (PE2E), Trademark Next Generation (TMNG), and Fee Processing Next Generation (FPNG) opportunities and developing skill sets specific to managing in a telework environment Implement programs aimed at enhancing employee engagement, and ensuring the nationwide workforce stays integrated with the corporate culture Promote learning and job opportunities for all levels of employees Enhance recruitment and hiring efforts to help sustain and develop a highly-qualified, and diverse workforce, including the senior team Continue to foster and enhance a strong labor-management relationships Continue to build collaborative relationships with our affinity groups Strengthen relationships with the Department of Commerce (DOC), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), other Federal agencies, and Congress Promote a culture across USPTO of outstanding customer service for both internal and external customers Streamline stakeholder access to USPTO services and programs Increase stakeholder partnerships and collaborations Support Government-wide efforts to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education initiatives Make the USPTO fee setting authority permanent Continuously optimize the fee structure Continue identifying, obtaining and implementing private sector business tools Maximize cost efficiency and transparency regional office regions Further develop regional cooperative opportunities Appendix VII – Glossary of Acronyms and Abbreviations