Petitioning to Make Patent Applications Relating to HIV/AIDS and Cancer Special Pursuant to 37 CFR 1.102, new patent applications are taken up for examination in the order of their effective United States filing date and are not advanced out of turn unless the Commissioner has so ordered to expedite the business of the Office, the head of some department of the Government requests immediate action on a patent application deemed of peculiar importance to some branch of the public service under 37 CFR 1.102(b), or a petition to make a patent application special under 37 CFR 1.102(c) or (d) has been granted. In view of the importance of developing treatments and cures for HIV/AIDS and cancer and the desirability of prompt disclosure of advances made in these fields, the Patent and Trademark Office is establishing a new category for petitions to accord "special" status to patent applications relating to HIV/AIDS and cancer. Applications which have been made special will advanced out of turn for examination and will continue to be treated as special throughout their pendency by the Patent and Trademark Office. Applicants who desire that an application relating to HIV/AIDS or cancer be made special should file a petition, with the fee under 37 CFR 1.17(i) which is presently $130.00, requesting the Patent and Trademark Office to make the application special. The petition for special status should be made in writing, should identify the application by serial number and filing date, and should be accompanied by a statement explaining how the invention contributes to the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of HIV/AIDS or cancer. Such statement must be set forth in oath or declaration form unless it is signed by a registered practitioner. The petition will be decided by the Director of the patent examining group to which the application is assigned. This new category for a petition to make an application special will be added to the other categories discussed in section 708.02 of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. February 23, 1995 BRUCE A. LEHMAN Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks