The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) launched the Semiconductor Technology Pilot Program on December 1, 2023 for patent applications for processes or apparatuses for manufacturing semiconductor devices. Applications...more
On March 6, the USPTO announced a new Green Energy Category of its Patents for Humanity Program. Patents for Humanity is an awards competition that recognizes innovators who use technology to meet global humanitarian...more
On December 8, 2022, the US Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) announced the launch of the Cancer Moonshot Expedited Examination Pilot Program (Cancer Moonshot Pilot). This program begins on February 1, 2023, and replaces the...more
Successful defense strategies for Taiwanese businesses. Over the past two years, many technology companies have become patent infringement defendants in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas (the "Western...more
Two exciting new programs launched by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are poised to accelerate IP protection for COVID-19 related products. Due to medical device shortages and the constant question of when (and...more
Last month, the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) began an initiative to expedite the review of, and waive the fees related to, trademark applications for marks used to identify qualifying Covid-19 products...more
In recognition of the high interest level in the program, the PTO recently announced it is increasing the annual limit on Track One Prioritized Examinations from 10,000 to 12,000, effective September 3, 2019, to prevent...more
At last count, there are 27 Global and IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) participants with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Since the PPH provides a no fee way to speed up the examination process for...more
Due to the relatively short shelf life for some consumer products, it can be important to quickly obtain patent protection for such products. Obtaining patent protection early in the life of such products can help inventors...more
Innovation and Traditional Patent Process - When you develop an innovation, its potential patentability is typically unknown, thus making it difficult to determine whether it is worth the significant expense involved if...more
On June 29th, 2016, the USPTO announced the Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program to allow expedited examination of patent applications that pertain to cancer immunotherapy. Under the Program and after proper petition, the USPTO...more
Speed is everything in the business world. The fastest company to market wins a competitive advantage. However, investors are often reluctant to back new products that do not have patent protection, and backlogs at the US...more
Track One Prioritized Examination - Track One examination allows an applicant to pay for prioritized examination and to receive a final disposition usually in less than one year (compared to two to four years for regular...more
On June 15, 2015, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) issued Notice in the Federal Register announcing a new pilot program, the Expedited Patent Appeal Pilot. Under the program an appellant may have an ex...more
In the United States, patents are granted and issued through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Each patent application received by the USPTO is examined by a United States patent examiner in the order it...more
The typical pendency of a patent application in the United States can be between two and five years. In certain situations, a patent applicant may require or want a more expeditious disposition by the USPTO....more
U.S. patent applicants often have an interest in expediting the patent examination process. The desire to speed examination can result from issues related to the availability of an inventor, possible infringing activity by a...more