Comments on: Improving the USPTO http://ipinthedigitalage.com/improving-the-uspto/ CPSC 182 at Yale College Mon, 18 May 2009 01:26:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Michael L http://ipinthedigitalage.com/improving-the-uspto/comment-page-1/#comment-1910 Michael L Thu, 07 May 2009 02:12:39 +0000 http://ipinthedigitalage.com/?p=662#comment-1910 Yeah I was kind of wondering about the legality of that too. Seems kind of sketchy allowing the government conscript engineers to review patents. Interesting idea though, wonder if there’d be a way to make it opt-in. Perhaps create some sort of part time, at will position that looks really good on a resume? Sort of like how people put on their CV’s that they’ve testified before Congress…. Yeah I was kind of wondering about the legality of that too. Seems kind of sketchy allowing the government conscript engineers to review patents. Interesting idea though, wonder if there’d be a way to make it opt-in. Perhaps create some sort of part time, at will position that looks really good on a resume? Sort of like how people put on their CV’s that they’ve testified before Congress….

]]> By: Brian L http://ipinthedigitalage.com/improving-the-uspto/comment-page-1/#comment-1906 Brian L Mon, 04 May 2009 19:12:12 +0000 http://ipinthedigitalage.com/?p=662#comment-1906 Interesting post, Christian. Though I'm not sure how amenable the private sector and universities would be towards having an institutionalized system in which engineers are ordered to leave their work and review patents. As you said, the US faces a major shortage of engineers. Subjecting engineers to forced service may make the job seem less enticing. Regarding your analogies, I do not believe that any attorney can be ordered to represent indigents. Rather, there are public defenders who act as court-appointed attorneys for those unable to represent themselves. Your comparison to jury duty is interesting, but--at least in the modern era--the pool of eligible jurors consists of all citizens registered to vote (in most states, at least). Legally, I'm not sure how a program targeting a small class of the population--engineers--for coerced service would hold up in a court of law. Interesting post, Christian. Though I’m not sure how amenable the private sector and universities would be towards having an institutionalized system in which engineers are ordered to leave their work and review patents. As you said, the US faces a major shortage of engineers. Subjecting engineers to forced service may make the job seem less enticing.

Regarding your analogies, I do not believe that any attorney can be ordered to represent indigents. Rather, there are public defenders who act as court-appointed attorneys for those unable to represent themselves. Your comparison to jury duty is interesting, but–at least in the modern era–the pool of eligible jurors consists of all citizens registered to vote (in most states, at least). Legally, I’m not sure how a program targeting a small class of the population–engineers–for coerced service would hold up in a court of law.

]]>