Understaffed – can’t review applications correctly
Max Baucus (He served as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance from 2001 until 2003, and again from 2007 until 2014) “It’s Time for the U.S. to Tackle Patent Trolls” September 16, 2022 https://hbr.org/2022/09/its-time-for-the-u-s-to-tackle-patent-trolls
Over the long term, the USPTO needs to be resourced to handle the high volume of patent applications it receives and focus on patent quality, only granting patents when an idea is novel, useful, and non-obvious. On average, examiners now only spend 19 hours to reviewing each application. We must also improve transparency in the patent system so that the public knows who the true owners of patents are and patent trolls are prevented from misrepresenting their identities. But the director of the USPTO, Kathi Vidal, also has an opportunity to take immediate action that will substantially improve how our patent system functions and advance U.S. innovation.