Patent Trial and Appeal Board
USPTO announces extension of the Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program through July 2, 2022
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced plans for the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to extend the expiration date for the Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program, 85 FR 39888 (July 2, 2020). We are submitting a notice of extension to the Federal Register, and we anticipate it will publish shortly. The extended pilot program continues the program for another year. The new expiration date will be July 2, 2022.
The notice of extension also eliminates the upper limit of 500 total granted fast-track petitions, but maintains the limit of 125 granted petitions per quarter.
For additional information on the Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program, see the PTAB’s webpage on the USPTO website.