In December 2009, the USPTO announced a pilot program to accelerate the examination of certain “green” technology patent applications.  On May 21, 2010, the USPTO announced it is eliminating the classification requirement to expanded eligibility for expedited processing.

The USPTO announced that: “To date, more than 950 requests have been filed by applicants who wish for their application to be eligible for the Green Technology Pilot Program.  Only 342 of those have been granted, primarily because many of the inventions weren’t in classifications that were eligible.  The lifting of the classification requirements is expected to allow many more applications to be eligible for the program.”

To participate in the pilot program, a patent applicant must file a petition to make special under the Green Technology Pilot Program that satisfies all of the other requirements set forth in the December 8, 2009, Federal Register notice.

As a patent attorney, I am proud to work with a number of clients who focus on innovative green technologies and other environmentally friendly and sustainable inventions.  If you are interested in learning more about the pilot program or any of the patent services I offer, contact me for a free consultation.

Tags: patent examination, patent law, uspto