News rules at the US Patent Office

[Bouthier Christophe <Christophe.Bouthier@loria.fr>]

Hello.

Have you seen this article ? 
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/23/technology/23PATE.html
(needs free registration).

It is about the new plans that the US Patent Office want to apply :

- Sliding scale of fees for applications with more than 20 claims
  "The more you want to claim, the more you have to pay"

- outsourcing research of prior art to private agencies
  (Sounds like the dream job of Greg, isn't it :-))

- electroninc patent filling.
  With all the patents about anything concerning exchanging document 
  trhough electrical means, I wonder how many patents they will have to
  licenses to get this working :-)

The first idea seems great. Of course it do not tackle the problem of
logical patenting. But still, at least the patent will be less 
overbroad. What do you think ?

C.
-- 
By the grace of God Almighty
And the pressures of the marketplace
The human race has civilized itself.
It's a miracle.                      -Roger Waters-Amused to death-