Re:Stupid patent examiners are a problem. (Score 0)

Sorry sweetie, I worked in Crystal City (home of the USPTO) for over 15 years and I never met a patent examiner who could be classed as stupid.

Overworked, stressed out, hemmed in by antiquated methods and underpaid with little or no access to seminars to keep abreast of the latest information - yes. Stupid? Not by a long shot.

Besides, there is a system of public disclosure already in place concerning patents.

Every Tuesday, the USPTO publishes the "Official Gazette", one for patents and one for trademarks. The OG is the first place to find out about up and coming patents - and it's available to the public for a fee from your local US Government Printing Office. If you're near a Patent Depository Library, you should be able to go check out the OG at no cost to you.

The USPTO clung to its' antiquated methods up to about 1990 - and they worked well for about 200 years. There is no magic wand that'll convert well over five million patents and all other pertinent information to the 21st century overnight. As we used to say (misquoting Asimov), the USPTO, vaster than empires and more slow.