EXCLUSIVE: US Patent Office Improperly Assigned Supervisory Status to Contractors for Years

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is seen in Alexandria, Va., on March 14, 2006. Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

For years, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) leaders have given contractors titles that grant them access to a computer system that holds valuable information, former patent office employees say.

Unlike USPTO personnel, it’s not clear whether federal contractors go through the same background checks that federal employees go through, according to inventor David Hoyle, who has researched the subject extensively.