Expiration Of The Green Technology Pilot Program

The Green Technology Pilot Program of the U.S. PTO offers a route for applicants to expedite examination of patent applications, as set forth on the web site of the U.S. PTO and in the Federal Register, Vol. 74, No. 234, at page 64666, Vol. 75, No. 98, at page 28554, and No. 217, at page 69049. Under the Program, the time from filing the application to issuance of a first office action may be reduced to 3 to 6 months. The Program requires no additional government fee to request, and encompasses a broad range of environmental remediation, environmental protection, clean energy, and energy conservation technologies. To qualify, the application must have no more than 3 independent claims, 20 total claims, and no multiple dependent claims. This is usually not an unduly restrictive requirement, and the claims may be amended to qualify, if necessary.