Sampled “Success” Rates of Patent Applications, Courtesy Patently-O
Patently-O did a brief post yesterday on a selected group of patent applications to see how the applications have proceeded through the PTO. Of the applications filed in February 2006, 57% have matured into a patent, 28% are abandoned, and 15% remain pending. Five and a half years is a long time to work through the Patent Office, but it may be that a large majority of that 15% are in a cramped technology field, one in which the Patent Office has a disproportionately large backlog.