GAO Recommends More Transparent Oversight of Patent Board Judges

The US Government Accountability Office announced a series of recommendations to boost confidence in the administrative law process through which US patents can be invalidated.

The report’s recommendations, which focus on transparency measures, come on the heels of another GAO study issued in July that found 75% of judges at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board reported that their independence had been curbed because of pressure from politically appointed US Patent and Trademark Office directors and their management teams.

The influence of PTO directors and managers was most significant when it came to decisions on whether the PTAB would ...