Initiatives

Qualifying applications are advanced out of turn for examination until the first Office Action. Program is open until the earlier of December 2, 2024 or until 1,000 petitions are granted.

Qualifying applications are advanced out of turn for examination until the first Office Action. Program is open until the earlier of March 11, 2024 or until 1,000 petitions are granted.

Qualifying applications involving cancer-related technologies are advanced out of turn for examination. Program is open until the earlier of January 31, 2025 or until 1000 petitions are granted.

Qualifying applications involving climate change mitigation technologies may be submitted until June 7, 2027, or until 4000 petitions are granted. This program is inspired by the former Green Technology Pilot Program.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will no longer accept requests for prioritized examination filed in qualifying patent applications related to COVID-19.

A pilot program that permits applicants to defer payment of the provisional application filing fee until the filing of a corresponding nonprovisional application in exchange for making technical subject matter disclosed in their provisional applications available to the public via a searchable collaboration database. The pilot accepted requests from September 17, 2020 through September 17, 2021. The searchable collection remains available to the public for review.

Lists of future and past Partnership Meetings, implemented as a collaborative effort to give the IP community and the USPTO a forum to discuss items of mutual interest.

USPTO released AIA reports on Virtual Marking and the Satellite Offices.

Learn more about the established procedures under which the examination of a patent application may be accelerated.

The After Final Consideration Pilot Program 2.0 (AFCP 2.0) is part of the USPTO's on-going efforts towards compact prosecution and increased collaboration between examiners and stakeholders.

Under the Full First Action Interview Pilot Program, an applicant is entitled to a first action interview, upon request, prior to the first Office action on the merits. The examiner will conduct a prior art search and provide applicant with a condensed pre-interview communication citing relevant

Find out more about White House Executive Action No. 2, high-tech patent issues, and the the Glossary Pilot Program.

Effective May 13, 2015, the provisions in Title I of the Patent Law Treaties Implementation Act of 2012 implement the 1999 Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs

Providing high-quality, efficient examination of patent application is paramount to our mission at USPTO.

USPTO awards competition recognizing innovators who use game-changing technology to meet global humanitarian challenges.

Effective December 18, 2013 The provisions in the Patent Law Treaties Implementation Act of 2012 focus on harmonizing and streamlining many of the formal procedures for filing and processing a patent application.

Patents Ombuds services contact form

One initiative of the Software Partnership is the investigation and sharing of search strategies, and the improvement of tools and resources to evolve better techniques to identify prior art.

The Quick Path Information Disclosure Statement (QPIDS) program is part of the USPTO's on-going efforts towards compact prosecution and pendency reduction.

Track One and Prioritized Examination for RCEs

Learn more details about the mechanisms available to third parties who wish to submit patents.