Numbers help us think, and they help express what has happened
and what will likely happen. It is often difficult to find a number
when you are looking for it. Patent infringement cases are no
different. Despite Mark Twain's warning about the three kinds
of lies—lies, damn lies and statistics—here are
answers to questions that you might find useful when you do not
have enough information to otherwise answer them:
Patent Prosecution
How long does it take to get the first office action
from the Patent Office?
26 months - USPTO statistic as of April 2011
How long does it take to get a patent
issued?
34 months - USPTO statistic as of April 2011
This includes patents that were abandoned, so the average of just
cases prosecuted to conclusion would likely be longer.
