Correction

A story published Monday incorrectly reported the amount of the backlog of patent applications as 7 million. That figure is the worldwide total of pending applications; the U.S. backlog is 420,000. The story also incorrectly reported that government patent examiners would continue to do patent searches under the revised reform plan. In fact, searches will be contracted to the private sector, but the Patent and Trademark Office will pick the firms. The story has been updated to reflect these corrections.