News Item
Patent application backlog reduction(08/13/10)
Effective November 11, 2009, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office began a temporary program in which an owner of patent applications could petition to make one of its patent applications “special,” meaning to accelerate the examination of the application, in exchange for abandoning a co-pending and unexamined patent application. This program was extended in June 2010 by a notice published in the Federal Register. Patent application owners, whether they are large or small entities, may now participate in this program. The program is scheduled to end on December 31, 2010 or until 10,000 applications have been made special, whichever comes first. Owners of patent applications that need patents issued within a year should consult patent attorneys to determine whether they can meet the various requirements needed to benefit from this program.
close window