Patent and Trademark Office
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The Commerce Department wants to train all of its employees in the next two years on digital data tools. It's part of the agency's goal to make the vast amounts of data it collects more accessible to the public.
May 06, 2016 -
Federal chief information officer Tony Scott said agencies are spending too much of their money on legacy technology that can’t easily be secured, and the people who have built and supported it are leaving government service. HUD, EPA, SSA and the Patent and Trademark Office are among the agencies trying to transform their IT infrastructures.
November 18, 2015 -
The National Academy of Public Administration concludes that time-and-attendance fraud is neither widespread nor unique to teleworkers at the Patent and Trademark Office.
July 31, 2015 -
The Senate on Monday confirmed Michelle Lee as director of the Patent and Trademark Office. She had been deputy director since January 2014.
March 10, 2015 -
The Patent and Trademark Office can plot a long-term strategy for the first time, thanks to newfound financial security, said Deputy Director Michelle Lee. Her top priority: improving patent quality.
January 22, 2015 -
John Owens, the Patent and Trademark Office's chief information officer, said moving to an agile approach and creating small teams of experts is helping the agency get capabilities to the mission area faster and more successfully.
December 12, 2014 -
The Patent and Trademark Office has hired the National Academy of Public Administration to review the agency's vaunted telework programs following allegations that teleworkers are falsifying their timecards and managers do not have the tools to monitor them.
November 19, 2014 -
MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of federal patent workers are allowed to work from home with little supervision and face almost no discipline even if they lie about the hours they put…
November 18, 2014 -
The Patent and Trademark Office has been going without a confirmed director for a year and a half. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah.) has urged President Obama to nominate somebody already. He thinks the vacancy "hampers the agency's ability to influence policy and make long term-plans." Todd Dickinson is a former PTO director, now executive director of the American Intellectual Property Law Association. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss what's going on at the agency.
June 06, 2014 -
The Patent and Trademark Office is making an annual program out of a successful one-year initiative. It wants to find and reward inventors whose products and services benefit humanity. Competitors in the "patents for humanity" program can win several prizes, including a fast track for their patent application. The 2013 awards recognized 10 recipients in five different categories. The agency is now accepting applications for this year. Edward Elliott, an attorney adviser at USPTO, told Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about the program.
April 21, 2014 -
NASA, the Patent and Trademark Office and the Federal Communications Commission found success by engaging both managers and employees. All three agencies earned high marks in the annual Best Places to Work survey.
December 19, 2013 -
At the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations meeting, several employee representatives said the time has come for the committee to put more pressure on agencies to have more of the collaborative forums up and running well. During a time of budget reductions, possible furloughs and a government shutdown, the unions say the forums provide a way for agencies to better manage all of these fiscal challenges.
January 17, 2013 -
John Owens, the Patent and Trademark Office's CIO, said the agency used to spend 85 percent of its IT budget on operations and maintenance (O&M) support and 15 percent on development, modernization and enhancements (DME) of systems. Now, the agency spends 50 percent on each. That change has allowed it to upgrade IT systems without additional money.
September 12, 2012 -
Mark Olechowski is from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer at the Patent and Trademark Office. He shares how his agency improved its accountability reporting
June 02, 2011 -
The Patent and Trademark Office awarded three companies a spot on a $95 million contract to provide a variety of technical services. General Dynamics, ManTech and Project Performance Corporation will compete for task orders around…
November 04, 2008