Russ Krajec reported John Doll reporting a 111 month backlog for examining business method patents. 111 months at the patent office is like 666 to a priest - mark of the beast. Ever the clever prosecutor, Russ had ideas on how work the delay to an applicant's advantage.

According to a reliable source inside the patent agency, "a patent attorney currently doing a stint at at the PTO", "management has recently announced an initiative to reduce time per cases across the PTO by up to 10% (the percentage depending upon tech center) and increase production goals by 5% in order to cut through some of the backlog... Essentially, the mindset, as articulated via art unit meetings and tech center meet-and-greets, has been to cut down pendency via cracking the whip harder on the oarsmen of the slave galley."

The management technique of "the beatings will continue until morale improves" is bound to help achieve even greater turnover, already a serious problem, not to mention the implications for fuming a wondrous stench of souring patent quality.

Patent reform needs to begin at home: the patent office. For patent quality, you don't get a grip by cracking the whip.