...of the standards of novelty, non-obviousness, or utility. To sum up the case, NRC (2004) states that "...the claim that quality has deteriorated in a broad...and systematic way has not been empirically tested." The same report goes on to say, however, that there are reasons to suspect that "deviations from previous...

...their work, lack of access to prior art information, or the qualifications of the corps of examiners. The claim that quality has deteriorated in a broad and systematic way could be, but has not been, empirically tested. Therefore, conclusions must remain tentative. There...