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→Criticisms
In recent years, there has been an increase in patent reform legislation due to wide range criticisms on current patent institutions and practices demanding stricter reform.
USPTO: In April 2016, the USPTO had an unexamined patent backlog of 549,896 and 352,573 application filings for review. The unexamined patent backlog is a record of how many [[Patent Types| UPR Patents]] are waiting for review by a patent examiner,and application filings refers to how many patents are being sent in for review. [http://www.uspto.gov/corda/dashboards/patents/main.dashxml?CTNAVID=1005][https://hbr.org/2015/03/why-congress-needs-to-pass-the-innovation-act-this-time | Harvard Business Review (HBR)] reports that the increase in cases being referred to lower, random courts raises the cost of processing a patent application and causes the patent system to rely on juries without technical or procedural expertise. These juries are expected to decide whether high level technology or processes satisfy the requirements for protection. '''The USPTO continues to grant patents without the necessary time or resources to search all relevant references. '''
Patent Litigation: Critics at Wired believe that the amount of patent litigation and patent infringement claimed has created a "disastrous environment for innovation." [http://www.wired.com/2012/11/ff-steven-levy-the-patent-problem/ (Wired)] Litigation and lawsuits may result in a significant decrease in product development. In 2015, Google and Apple invested more in supporting patent purchases and litigation than in R&D.[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/technology/patent-wars-among-tech-giants-can-stifle-competition.html?_r=0 (NYT-PW)]
