On June 10, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the discontinuation of the Accelerated Examination program for utility applications beginning on July 10, 2025. The Accelerated Examination program, which was initiated in 2006, was—at the time—a relatively popular program as it was one of the few options for patent applicants to receive expedited examination.
Reasoning for the decision to discontinue the Accelerated Examination program was multi-faceted and included: the need to reduce overall first-action pendency at the USPTO; the current low usage of the Accelerated Examination program; the popularity of the Track One program that was initiated in 2011; and the inconvenience to practitioners and the USPTO of retaining a seemingly redundant program with its own special handling procedures.
Moving forward, patent applicants that wish to accelerate patent examination in the United States should focus on the Track One program, which is already popular among many applicants, particularly those in the life sciences industry. Track One provides the ability to advance a utility patent application out of turn, regardless of subject matter, by paying a fee and without an applicant having to meet several of the requirements of the Accelerated Examination program, such as performing a pre-examination search and supplying an examination support document.
Patent applicants still wishing to use the sunsetting Accelerated Examination program must file their petition by July 9, 2025.