NEI hosted the USPTO in discussing their exciting new First-Time Filer Expedited Examination Pilot Program in person at UMass Lowell Innovation Hub Haverhill.
This pilot program is available to applicants with “micro entity status” (gross income of $212,352 or less). And it will particularly benefit inventors in historically under-served geographic and economic areas.
Typically, a patent applicant will wait upwards of two years before receiving a patent examiner’s written notice of findings (“office action”) on a patent application. With this new First-Time Filer Expedited Examination Pilot Program, most applicants will receive their office action in less than one month. By lowering time barriers as well as application fees for independent inventors who might otherwise be unable to participate in the patent system, this initiative will greatly accelerate a key milestone in the commercialization of their innovations.
Brannon Smith, Legal Advisor in the USPTO’s Office of Patent Legal Administration, will explain program requirements and how to apply. There will be time for Q&A, as well. More information about this program can be found on the USPTO website.