USPTO in 2012: Over 600,000 applications filed, and backlog of 1.4 million
Source: USPTO 2007-2012 Strategic Plan
The United States Patent and Trademark Office predicts that patent application filings will continue to increase to over 600,000 a year in 2012. Furthermore, according to their own estimates, there may be a backlog of around 1.4 million patents:
It is an unchallenged reality that the rate at which patent applications are being filed has increased beyond the rate at which the USPTO is presently able to examine them, resulting in an increasing backlog (cases that have not been examined). It is possible that this backlog could approach about 1.4 million by 2012—unless something is done.
Link: USPTO 2007-2012 Strategic Plan.
