The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform...

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating the Patent and Trademark Office based on a Washington Post article (http://wapo.st/1oVE7Po) alleging USPTO remote employees lied about their hours, said a letter from committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker Tuesday (http://1.usa.gov/1thQ4Rl). “Reportedly, patent officers and paralegals routinely lied about their work and logged thousands of hours on the taxpayer’s dime,” said a committee news release Wednesday (http://1.usa.gov/VEMa8e). “Raising questions about USPTO’s internal investigation, the USPTO also removed the most damaging reports of employee fraud in a report to the agency’s independent watchdog.” Issa asked Pritzker to arrange a briefing by Friday for the committee’s staff. “We are carefully reviewing the Committee’s request and will respond and remain in close contact with the Committee on this matter,” the USPTO said in a statement Wednesday. The office “welcomes this opportunity to demonstrate that the agency’s award-winning telework programs -- and their measurable work production requirements for patent examiners -- have been integral to the USPTO’s dramatic, quantifiable progress in fulfilling its core functions of reducing the backlog of patent applications and the wait time for applicants,” it said.