Green Technology Pilot Program
Under the Green Technology Pilot Program, an applicant may have an application advanced out of turn (accorded special status) for examination, for applications pertaining to green technologies including greenhouse gas reduction (applications pertaining to environmental quality, energy conservation, development of renewable energy resources or greenhouse gas emission reduction). Currently, an application pertaining to environmental quality, or energy conservation, development of renewable energy resources or greenhouse gas reduction will not be advanced out of turn for examination unless it meets the requirements of either the accelerated examination program or the prioritized examination program. Under the Green Technology Pilot Program, applications pertaining to environmental quality, energy conservation, development of renewable energy, or greenhouse gas emission reduction, will be advanced out of turn for examination without meeting all of the current requirements of the accelerated examination program (e.g., examination support document). The USPTO will accept only the first 3,500 petitions (click here for the number of petitions granted thus far) to make special in new applications, provided that the petitions meet the requirements set forth in the notice published on December 8, 2009, in the Federal Register, as modified by the Federal Register notices published on May 21, 2010, November 10, 2010, and December 15, 2011 (links to the Federal Register notices are provided below).
The USPTO has expanded the eligibility for the pilot program to include applications filed on or after December 8, 2009, in addition to applications filed before December 8, 2009. The program has also been extended until March 30, 2012, or the date that 3,500 applications have been accorded special status under this program.
Press Releases
- USPTO Issues 500th Patent Through Successful Green Technology Pilot Program (October 05, 2011)
- DOC Blog Post on 350th patent
- USPTO Extends Deadline to Participate in Green Technology Pilot Program by One Year (November 10, 2010)
- USPTO Expands Green Technology Pilot Program to More Inventions
- Department of Commerce Announces Pilot Program for Green Innovations
Federal Register Notices
Sunset of the Patent Application Backlog Reduction Stimulus Plan and a Limited Extension of the Green Technology Pilot Program was signed on December 7, 2011, and published on December 15, 2011, at 76 Fed. Reg. 77979 [PDF].
Expansion and Extension of the Green Technology Pilot Program was signed October 15, 2010, and published on November 10, 2010, at 75 Fed. Reg. 69049 [PDF].
The Elimination of Classification Requirement in the Green Technology Pilot Program notice was signed May 12, 2010, and published on May 21, 2010, at 75 Fed. Reg. 28554 [PDF].
The Pilot Program for Green Technologies Including Greenhouse Gas Reduction notice was signed November 30, 2009, and published on December 8, 2009, at 74 Fed. Reg. 64666 [PDF].
Form
Form PTO/SB/420 titled "Petition to Make Special Under the Green Technology Pilot Program" can be used to request participation in the Green Technology Pilot Program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions [PDF] [originally posted December 23, 2009, and last updated May 17, 2011]
Statistics
Green Petition Report Summary [PDF] [updated January 31, 2012; Report date: January 30, 2012]
Contacts
RE: EFS-Web or PAIR system - contact the Patent Electronic Business Center at 866-217-9197.
RE: a specific petition - contact:
| TC | Green Tech Rep | E-mail Address | Phone |
| TC 1600 | Manjunath Rao | manjunath.rao@uspto.gov | (571) 272-0939 |
| TC 1700 | Blaine Copenheaver | blaine.copenheaver@uspto.gov | (571) 272-1156 |
| TC 2100 | Eddie Lee | eddie.lee@uspto.gov | (571) 272-1732 |
| TC 2400 | Beatriz Prieto | beatriz.prieto@uspto.gov | (571) 272-3902 |
| TC 2600 | Doris To | doris.to@uspto.gov | (571) 272-7629 |
| TC 2800 | Lee Young | lee.young@uspto.gov | (571) 272-4549 |
| TC 3600 | Lanna Mai | lanna.mai@uspto.gov | (571) 272-6867 |
| TC 3700 | Tom Denion | thomas.denion@uspto.gov | (571) 272-4859 |
RE: The Green Technology Pilot Program Notice - contact the Office of Patent Legal Administration at 571-272-7701 or e-mail PatentPractice@uspto.gov.
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