New Patent Office Rules For Petitions For Accelerated Examination

Introduction

The United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO" or "the Office") has recently revised the requirements for filing petitions for accelerated examination ("AE") and other petitions to make special. The new requirements became effective on August 26, 2006. Under the new rules, an applicant will be required to provide additional information with the petition for accelerated examination, and comply with revised procedures throughout the examination process.

The goal of this change is to achieve a final decision by the examiner within 12 months from the filing date of the application. It is important to bear in mind, however, that this twelve-month period is merely a target, and a failure to meet it is neither petitionable nor appealable.