GAO study calls for tougher patent reviews

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The US Patent and Trademark Office should do more to ensure that unclear and overly broad patent applications are rejected, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended.

The GAO, Congress's audit arm, noted that the Patent Office has already taken steps to improve patent quality and reduce litigation, including developing uniform definitions for software terms. Imprecise terms can make it difficult for the courts to determine whether a particular product is infringing on a patent, the GAO wrote. But overly broad patents remain a problem, especially in the software industry, the GAO concluded. The agency recommended that the Patent Office more closely examine trends in patent litigation to determine how to better weed out improper applications.


GAO study calls for tougher patent reviews Assessing Factors That Affect Patent Infringement Litigation Could Help Improve Patent Quality (GAO)