The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will provide, for no additional fee, prioritized examination for COVID-19 related patent applications for applicants qualifying for small or micro entity status. This special pilot program will waive the fees associated with prioritized examinations, saving small entity applicants $2,000.
To qualify for this pilot program, the claims of the application need to incorporate a product or process subject to FDA approval and related to COVID-19, for instance its treatment and/or prevention.
The USPTO aims to reach final disposition for such applicants within six months (faster than the one-year time frame for typical Track I applications) if applicants respond swiftly to all actions or notices. The initial limit of the pilot program is 500 requests.
More information can be found by contacting Pearl Cohen, and at: https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/uspto-announces-covid-19-prioritized-examination-pilot-program-small-and?utm_campaign=subscriptioncenter&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=
