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As USPTO raises production goals, examiners’ quality concerns grow

By Nick Robertson ( October 6, 2025, 20:26 GMT | Comment) -- The US Patent and Trademark Office rolled out a new Performance Appraisal Plan, or PAP, for patent examiners on Oct. 1 to mark the new fiscal year, raising the expected production from each examiner and adding more tasks for supervisors. Some examiners tell MLex that patent quality will slip, despite office leadership’s stated goals.Amid a government shutdown at the start of the fiscal year that led to layoffs at the US Patent and Trademark Office last week, office leadership announced a new Performance Appraisal Plan, or PAP, for patent examiners, MLex has learned....

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