Patent Law

Numptys

By Gary Odom and Jordan Kuhn

Hal Wegner:

Broadside criticism of individual examiners doing their daily tasks should be out of bound (sic) and, a fortiori, spineless, anonymous criticism of individual examiners by a practitioner either crosses an ethical or disciplinary line - or such a line should be sharply drawn to deal with such reprehensible conduct.

Wegner continues:

As a sign of the global ridicule that now exists, one of the latest characterizations of the U.S. examining corps by the leading British IP blog pictures IP examiners as "The Numptys." It's time for Americans to call a halt to "Numptyizing" the examining corps and making our colleagues on the government side an international joke.

Thanks to agency management, USPTO examination has become a international joke. The truth hurts.

But Hal is wrong about calling a halt, because the ridicule is deserved and necessary to drum the clowns running the PTO out, most notably Jon Dudas and Margaret Peterlin.

Gross incompetence, itself reprehensible conduct, deserves reprehension. Numpty up.

Wegner failed to identify "the leading British IP blog." Couldn't find it.

And, please, what are Numptys? TV reception isn't so good here in the cave.

Hat tip of thanks to Hal for the entertainment. But tell the story, man.

Full post as published by The Patent Prospector on June 10, 2008 (boomark / email).