USPTO Releases its FY 2014 Performance and Accountability Report (PAR)
Guest Blog by Tony Scardino, Chief Financial Officer
I’m pleased to announce the USPTO has published its Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) for fiscal year (FY) 2014. The PAR serves as the USPTO’s annual report, similar to what private sector companies prepare for their shareholders. Each year the USPTO publishes this report to update the public on our performance and financial health.
Our PAR charts the agency’s progress toward meeting goals outlined in our new 2014-2018 USPTO Strategic Plan: optimizing patent quality and timeliness; optimizing trademark quality and timeliness; and providing domestic and global leadership to improve intellectual property policy, protection, and enforcement worldwide. These goals govern the quality and quantity of our service to intellectual property owners and USPTO stakeholders. In addition, the PAR provides information on the USPTO’s progress toward a broader management goal: achieving organizational excellence.
Here at the USPTO, we take pride in producing a PAR that meets the highest standards of quality and accountability. The PAR contains a wealth of data and historical information of interest to our stakeholders, including data on patent and trademark examining activities, application filings, and agency staffing levels. This information is conveniently presented in the Workload Tables section at the end of the PAR.
On the issue of financial performance, FY 2014 marks the 22nd consecutive year that the USPTO’s financial statements received an unmodified audit opinion. Our clean audit opinion gives the public independent assurance that the information presented in the agency’s financial statements is fairly presented and follows generally accepted accounting principles. In addition, the auditors reported no material weaknesses in the USPTO’s internal controls, and no instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations affecting the financial statements.
While the PAR is a record of our achievements, it is also an honest discussion of the challenges we face as an agency moving forward in FY 2015. Among our challenges and opportunities, we will be managing the transition to an inventory maintenance patent processing operation as we come closer to our pendency and inventory targets in the future; promoting trademark application processing efficiency with fee reductions; securing sustainable funding in an era of increased budgetary pressures; and providing information technology (IT) support for a nationwide workforce with a “24/7/365” operational capability.
The PAR is a faithful snapshot of the USPTO’s FY 2014 performance. I hope you find value in this document, and that it allows you to glean greater insights into the agency’s activities and achievements.
Posted at 01:50PM Dec 12, 2014 in USPTO |