Newswise — AUTM and USPTO Announce Joint InitiativeDeerfield, IL — The Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced a joint program today during the AUTM Annual Meeting in Anaheim Calif. The USPTO/AUTM Patent Examiners Training Initiative aims to foster the development of relationships between patent examiners and innovators/scientists to better understand technologies and examination challenges; as well as to seek solutions.
The USPTO/AUTM Patent Examiners Training Initiative will enhance the USPTO’s current training program, the Patent Examiner Technical Training Program (PETTP). Launched in 2010, the PETTP updates supervisors and senior patent examiners on technical developments, the state of the art, emerging trends, maturing technologies, and recent innovations. PETTP provides the patent examiners, working directly in the various technology sectors throughout the USPTO, with necessary training from scientists and experts.
The USPTO/AUTM Patent Examiners Training Initiative is a national training initiative, with AUTM members, who work in university technology transfer offices, identifying faculty to participate in training for the patent examiners. The new program will ultimately result in more streamlined patent examination, fewer delays and quicker final disposition.The training should reduce much of the need for Request for Continued Examination Practice and will also help the USPTO identify allowable subject matter and issue strong, valid patents.
"We're pleased to partner with the USPTO on this initiative," says AUTM President Robin Rasor, CLP, RTTP. "For the USPTO, it will help to improve the strength and quality of patents and add support for a stronger patent system, and for universities, our discoveries and inventions will be better protected, which will lead to further scientific research and ultimately advance technology transfer and commercialization efforts," adds Rasor.
# # #About AUTM
The Association of University Technology Managers is a nonprofit organization with an international membership of more than 3,000 technology managers and business executives. AUTM members — managers of intellectual property, one of the most active growth sectors of the global economy — come from more than 300 universities, research institutions and teaching hospitals as well as numerous businesses and government organizations. To learn more about AUTM visit www.autm.net.
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