Feb 26 2025 38 mins 4
Kathy Duda is the President of The Patent Office Professional Association (POPA), which is the union representing USPTO patent examiners. On this episode, she discusses why she remains hopeful amidst current uncertainty around new return to office policies.
In the episode, she also discusses:
*Positive collaboration with Acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart
Getting first involved with POPA after it helped her during her pregnancy
Negotiating the first collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the USPTO in 40 years
Why she’s not getting a whole lot of sleep recently
Examiners waiting for finality regarding decisions about being able to continue to work remotely
Record backlog reached at the USPTO during last administration & work to bring it down
Impact of AI & what examination might look like in 30 years
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