On May 8,
the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the
COVID-19 Prioritized Examination Pilot Program, permitting
COVID-19-related applications filed by small and micro entities to be
put on a fast track for patent examination. Today, the USPTO launched a
related webpage, where you can find additional resources and information pertinent to the program.
As outlined in the official notice,
up to 500 qualifying patent applications will be accepted for
prioritized examination and exempted from prioritized examination fees.
The USPTO will endeavor to reach final disposition of applications in
this program within six months if applicants respond promptly to
communications from the USPTO.
For questions regarding the COVID-19 Fast Track Program, please contact Robert Clarke at 571-272-7735 or via email at covid19PrioritizedExamPilot@uspto.gov. For questions about EFS-Web or the PAIR system, please contact the Patent Electronic Business Center at 866-217-9197.
Note: The program’s effective date is May 14, 2020, not July 13 as erroneously stated in the original Federal Register notice.