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Patent Office to Accelerate Examination of Green Technology Patent Applications
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently announced a new pilot program to accelerate the examination of patent applications directed to certain “green” technologies, e.g., technologies for enhancing environmental quality, conserving energy, developing renewable energy sources, or reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Patent applications are typically examined in the order they are filed. The Patent Office estimates that it currently takes approximately 40 months to reach a final examination decision for green technology patent applications. Applications that qualify for the new program will be examined out of turn thereby reducing the time to reach a final examination decision by one year on average.