Is the U.S. Patent Office ready for the changes under GATT?
I don’t believe the patent office is ready for the changes GATT will require. As the adjacent discussion explains, the patent-office system will probably receive more requests from inventors to have their applications examined early. The increased traffic ought to cause some problems because the provision for early examination, proposed under harmonization rules, is absent from GATT. Q The GATT treaty will change the U.S. patent procedure. However, is a treaty the best way to effect such change? A: No. Forcing changes to our patent system through foreign treaties is harmful and inefficient. U.S. laws should be drafted and passed, with due consideration to our internal patent system needs as well as international harmonization needs. Forcing changes by treaty, with minimal patent office input, is foolish.
