When the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) launched its COVID-19 Prioritized Examination Pilot Program on May 14, 2020, a key focus was to shorten the timeline to patent protection of COVID-19 related innovations for small businesses and independent inventors, who already face the difficult task of getting important products to market with limited resources.
By implementing this pilot program, the USPTO is striving to minimize its impact on a product’s barrier to entry and allow important and potentially life-saving products to get to market faster. As such, the USPTO has presented inventors with a beneficial and, quite frankly, necessary program in view of this global pandemic.
However, as with many new programs, interpreting the requirements becomes important. As discussed below, the scope of the program and qualification standards may impact one’s ability to take advantage of the program.
Excerpted from IP & Technology Law Journal. To read the full article, click on the PDF below.
Novak-Stephenson-USPTO-Pilot-Program.PDF