Why did the USPTO whitewash its report on telework abuse?
Several whistleblower complaints later, the USPTO began its internal investigation on teleworkers two years ago. The program that allowed patent officers to work from their home was an award-winning program and many in the government and outside it had constantly sung praises about the innovative approach. Few expected the inquiry to burst the bubble, but what has come to the fore has left everyone speechless.
Another dishonest government agency
Of the 8,300 patent examiners that the USPTO employs, around half work from their home on a full-time basis. These teleworkers were found to have been repeatedly lying about the number of hours they put in for work, and were the recipients of several bonuses that they did not deserve. When the inquiry revealed these hard truths, supervisors asked for the computer records of these fraudulent workers to be pulled up so that they could have indelible proof of their lying behavior.
Instead the do-gooders ran into a wall in the form of top agency officials who rebuffed any attempts to procure the said records. But stalling the investigation was not enough. When the USPTO had to submit its findings to an outside watchdog, the organization made sure to delete the most damaging findings from the report and presented a much whitewashed version of events in its formal report.
Watchdog says agency’s report is deliberately inconclusive
Todd Zinser, Inspector General at the Commerce Department, says that the report sent by the USPTO makes it impossible to prove if the allegations levied by the whistleblowers in the past years had any grain of truth. Patent lawyers who are in the know say that the patent organization’s report is much less sensational than expected and does not convey the true extent of the problem.
A cover up is in progress and there is no way that the USPTO can deny it. Patent attorneys in Washington have claimed that if the original findings of the investigation were to be revealed, it would expose a major flaw in the business model of the USPTO. The patent office oversees an important function of US commerce, and has a huge role in supporting the nation’s economy and commercial development.
But the employee strength of the agency is just not enough to deal with the horde of patent applications that land at its door. According to patent lawyers the estimated waiting period for a patent application is north of five years and the number of backlog applications could easily be more than 60,000.
The official report presented to the Commerce Department extends to only eight pages, while the original report ran into 16 pages. A patent official has handed over the original to Mr. Zinser and it remains to be seen what stand the Commerce Department will now take on the issue.
Is the USPTO trying to be the new IRS? Is the USPTO trying to give the EPA a run for its money in terms of who can hurt America more? The USPTO may make companies and individuals wait too long for a response but the EPA kills jobs with its goofy made up science and anti-business attitude.
All those home USPTO workers are lazy and they work in such a nice building. This is just another example on why Americans are growing real tired of government. Do not worry USPTO, you are not hurting America as much as the IRS, EPA, Dept. of Interior, and State Department are.
Hiding the hard facts
Both the original report and the whitewashed version state that the negotiation between the USPTO and the patent examiner’s union has left the patent office with limited monitoring capacity. The fact that supervisors have limited access to computer records and employee work records that can be used for disciplinary action is also elucidated in both the reports.
But whereas the original report categorically stated that there was a ‘culture of fraud’ in the organization wherein senior officials systematically overlooked the glaring flaws, the whitewashed report failed to mention any such thing. In fact, the report sent to Mr. Zinser said that the managers in the organization were unsure about the teleworkers’ breach of protocol and held ‘inconsistent’ views on the same.
This is the second instance in which the USPTO’s work ethics have come under scrutiny after it was revealed last July that paralegal patent lawyers at the agency’s appeals board were drawing salaries even though they were idle most of the time. Just another government agency sinning and disrespecting their fellow man.
