By Michelle K. Lee, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ( December 19, 2016, 4:42 PM EST) -- Over the past seven years, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has made patent quality a major priority, launching initiatives and taking executive action to reduce application pendency, enhance prior art search capabilities, bolster examiner training, increase clarity of the record, enhance transparency, and calibrate examiner incentives. Putting these efforts in context, Duke Law School's Center for Innovation Policy and Santa Clara Law School's High Tech Law Institute organized two patent quality conferences, inviting input from policymakers, academics and stakeholders. The first conference was Sept. 9 in Santa Clara, California, and the second was Dec. 13 at the USPTO in Alexandria, Virginia. The following article (the latest in a series from conference participants) offers the perspective of Michelle Lee, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office....