Patents External Quality Survey with new opt-in process to open July 22
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is seeking feedback from attorneys and agents registered to practice before the USPTO through its upcoming Patents External Quality Survey. As a valued customer, your input is important and will help improve the patent examination process.
The Patents External Quality Survey is designed to gather customer perspectives on the correctness, clarity, and consistency of examiner rejections. It also seeks feedback on examiners’ adherence to applicable rules and procedures, as well as satisfaction with the search process and prior art.
The survey, which has been administered since 2006, takes less than 10 minutes to complete. In this iteration, responses will be collected through an opt-in process, providing all registered patent attorneys and agents the opportunity to participate.
The survey results will be used to:
- Track overall examination quality over time
- Implement targeted solutions to address root-cause quality issues
- Identify best practices that support more compliant and durable patents while improving efficiency
The survey will be available beginning July 22, 2026, and will be conducted electronically through the Qualtrics survey platform. Responses will be used solely for research purposes, and no personally identifying information will be linked to the results. The survey will close on September 4, 2026.
Additional information will be provided soon, including a link to the survey.
|
