
ABUSE OF USPTO’S TELEWORK PROGRAM: ENSURING OVERSIGHT, ACCOUNTABILITY AND QUALITY JOINT HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY AND THE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION NOVEMBER 18, 2014 Serial No. 113–117 (Committee on the Judiciary) Serial No. 113–150 (Committee on Oversight and Government Reform) ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov http://judiciary.house.gov http://oversight.house.gov ABUSE OF USPTO’S TELEWORK PROGRAM: ENSURING OVERSIGHT, ACCOUNTABILITY AND QUALITY ABUSE OF USPTO’S TELEWORK PROGRAM: ENSURING OVERSIGHT, ACCOUNTABILITY AND QUALITY JOINT HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY AND THE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION NOVEMBER 18, 2014 Serial No. 113–117 (Committee on the Judiciary) Serial No. 113–150 (Committee on Oversight and Government Reform) ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov http://judiciary.house.gov http://oversight.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 91–315 PDF WASHINGTON : 2014 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia, Chairman F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan Wisconsin JERROLD NADLER, New York HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina ROBERT C. ‘‘BOBBY’’ SCOTT, Virginia LAMAR SMITH, Texas ZOE LOFGREN, California STEVE CHABOT, Ohio SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas SPENCER BACHUS, Alabama STEVE COHEN, Tennessee DARRELL E. ISSA, California HENRY C. ‘‘HANK’’ JOHNSON, JR., J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia Georgia STEVE KING, Iowa PEDRO R. PIERLUISI, Puerto Rico TRENT FRANKS, Arizona JUDY CHU, California LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas TED DEUTCH, Florida JIM JORDAN, Ohio LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois TED POE, Texas KAREN BASS, California JASON CHAFFETZ, Utah CEDRIC RICHMOND, Louisiana TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania SUZAN DelBENE, Washington TREY GOWDY, South Carolina JOE GARCIA, Florida RAU´ L LABRADOR, Idaho HAKEEM JEFFRIES, New York BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas DAVID N. CICILLINE, Rhode Island GEORGE HOLDING, North Carolina DOUG COLLINS, Georgia RON DeSANTIS, Florida JASON T. SMITH, Missouri [Vacant] SHELLEY HUSBAND, Chief of Staff & General Counsel PERRY APELBAUM, Minority Staff Director & Chief Counsel (II) COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM DARRELL E. ISSA, California, Chairman JOHN L. MICA, Florida ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland, Ranking MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio Minority Member JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York PATRICK T. MCHENRY, North Carolina ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of JIM JORDAN, Ohio Columbia JASON CHAFFETZ, Utah JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts TIM WALBERG, Michigan WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts JUSTIN AMASH, Michigan JIM COOPER, Tennessee PAUL A. GOSAR, Arizona GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania JACKIE SPEIER, California SCOTT DESJARLAIS, Tennessee MATTHEW A. CARTWRIGHT, Pennsylvania TREY GOWDY, South Carolina TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois DOC HASTINGS, Washington DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming PETER WELCH, Vermont ROB WOODALL, Georgia TONY CARDENAS, California THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky STEVEN A. HORSFORD, Nevada DOUG COLLINS, Georgia MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM, New Mexico MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina [Vacant] KERRY L. BENTIVOLIO, Michigan RON DESANTIS, Florida LAWRENCE J. BRADY, Staff Director JOHN D. CUADERES, Deputy Staff Director STEPHEN CASTOR, General Counsel LINDA A. GOOD, Chief Clerk DAVID RAPALLO, Minority Staff Director (III) C O N T E N T S NOVEMBER 18, 2014 Page OPENING STATEMENTS The Honorable Bob Goodlatte, a Representative in Congress from the State of Virginia, and Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary ................................. 1 The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., a Representative in Congress from the State of Michigan, and Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary ......... 4 The Honorable Darrell E. Issa, a Representative in Congress from the State of California, and Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ................................................................................................................... 5 The Honorable Elijah Cummings, a Representative in Congress from the State of Maryland, and Ranking Member, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ............................................................................................. 7 The Honorable Gerald E. Connolly, a Representative in Congress from the State of Virginia, and Member, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ................................................................................................................... 7 WITNESSES The Honorable Frank Wolf, a Representative in Congress from the State of Virginia Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 11 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 14 Margaret A. Focarino, Commissioner for Patents, United States Patent and Trademark Office Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 22 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 25 The Honorable Todd J. Zinser, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Com- merce Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 28 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 30 Robert D. Budens, President, Patent Office Professional Association Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 52 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 54 Esther M. Kepplinger, Vice Chair, Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 67 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 69 William F. Smith, Of Counsel, BakerHostetler Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 77 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 79 LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING Material submitted by the Honorable Gerald E. Connolly, a Representative in Congress from the State of Virginia, and Member, Committee on Over- sight and Government Reform ............................................................................ 9 Material submitted by the Honorable Frank Wolf, a Representative in Con- gress from the State of Virginia .......................................................................... 17 (V) VI Page APPENDIX MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING RECORD Material submitted by the Honorable Darrell E. Issa., a Representative in Congress from the State of California, and Chairman, Committee on Over- sight and Government Reform ............................................................................ 128 Supplemental Material submitted by Robert D. Budens, President, Patent Office Professional Association ........................................................................... 176 Supplemental Material submitted by William F. Smith, Of Counsel, BakerHostetler ..................................................................................................... 244 Material submitted by the Honorable Jackie Speier, a Representative in Con- gress from the State of California, and Member, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ..................................................................................... 271 Letter from the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) ....... 339 Response to Questions for the Record from the Honorable Todd J. Zinser, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Commerce ........................................... 344 ABUSE OF USPTO’S TELEWORK PROGRAM: ENSURING OVERSIGHT, ACCOUNTABILITY AND QUALITY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2014 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY AND THE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM Washington, DC. The Committees met, pursuant to call, at 1:42 p.m., in room 2141, Rayburn House Office Building, the Honorable Bob Goodlatte (Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary) presiding. Present from the Committee on the Judiciary: Representatives Goodlatte, Forbes, Chaffetz, King, Franks, Gohmert, Poe, Marino, Labrador, Holding, Collins, DeSantis, Conyers, Nadler, Lofgren, Jackson Lee, Johnson, and Cicilline. Present from the Committee on Oversight and Government Re- form: Representatives Issa, Mica, Turner, Jordan, Walberg, Lank- ford, Amash, Gosar, Meehan, Massie, Cummings, Tierney, Clay, Lynch, Connolly, Speier, Cartwright, Kelly, Davis, Cardenas, and Lujan Grisham. Staff Present from the Committee on the Judiciary: (Majority) Shelley Husband, Chief of Staff & General Counsel; Branden Ritch- ie, Deputy Chief of Staff & Chief
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