Thursday, January 31, 2019

Extension of the Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program


[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 18 (Monday, January 28, 2019)]
[Notices]
 
SUMMARY: On June 29, 2016, the United States Patent and Trademark
Office (USPTO) implemented the Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program,
which permits patent applications pertaining to cancer immunotherapy to
be advanced out of turn for examination and reviewed earlier (accorded
special status). To date, over 300 petitions requesting participation
in the pilot program have been filed, and over 100 patents have been
granted under the pilot program. In view of the continued interest in
the pilot program, the USPTO has extended the pilot program until June
30, 2020. All pilot parameters remain the same as the original pilot.

DATES: Duration: The Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program will continue
to run until June 30, 2020. Therefore, petitions to make special under
the Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program must be filed on or before June
30, 2020. In addition, any petition to make special under the Cancer
Immunotherapy Pilot Program filed between December 31, 2018, and the
publication date of this notice will be considered timely. The USPTO
may further extend the pilot program (with or without modifications) or
terminate it depending on feedback received, continued interest and the
effectiveness of the pilot program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pinchus M. Laufer, Patent 
Attorney (telephone (571) 272-7726; electronic mail at pinchus.laufer@uspto.gov
or Susy Tsang-Foster, Senior Legal Advisor (telephone (571) 272-7711;
electronic mail at susy.tsang-foster@uspto.gov), of the Office of Patent Legal 
Administration, Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy.

For questions relating to a specific petition, please contact Gary
B. Nickol, Supervisory Patent Examiner (telephone (571) 272-0835;
electronic mail at gary.nickol@uspto.gov) or Brandon J. Fetterolf,
Supervisory Patent Examiner (telephone (571) 272-2919; electronic mail
at brandon.fetterolf@uspto.gov), of Technology Center 1600.


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Please click here.
 
Dated: January 18, 2019.
Andrei Iancu,
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of
the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2019-00202 Filed 1-25-19; 8:45 am]
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