000330	04feeretention_wmp_a_16.wma
000000	MICHAEL GORMAN:  Okay, so it's my understanding that the Innovation Alliance wants to improve patent quality through three separate means,
000010	first fully funding the USPTO, second allowing the PTO to retain all of its user fees and third encouraging the PTO to invest in additional human and other resources.
000023	Now do you believe that retention of fees will allow the PTO to accomplish these other two goals?
000029	And if not, what other solutions does the Alliance want to see implemented?
000034	DEREK MINIHANE:  We believe that fully funding the PTO and allowing them to maintain or retain their user fees is a critical first step.
000044	It is certainly not the only step.
000045	And just funding the PTO doesn't guarantee any results.
000050	But we have definitely supported the fully funding of the PTO.
000053	In fact we've written letters of support to Congress as they've approved fully funding for the next fiscal year.
000101	Some of the other things that the PTO needs to do is they need to increase their retention of employees.
000109	And they need to look at their own internal measures that currently focus more on quantity and not on quality.
000116	And they need to find a way to do that across a very large organization.
000121	Some of the things that they have been looking at and are starting to roll out, for example the Work-from-Home Initiative I would think would be a very good retention.
000131	Now also that they have the Image File Wrappers there, everything is electronic, they've started to look at potentially opening up other sites around the country
000145	because the PTO essentially has been limited to looking at employees from the East Coast or even the mid-Atlantic region.
000153	And that's a very narrow population window to look at.
000156	So hopefully by broadening their horizons they will increase their retention and further quality.
000204	MICHAEL GORMAN:  Taraneh, anything?
000206	Okay.