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ARTICLE · 17 SEPTEMBER 2020

USPTO Announces COVID-19 Deferred-Fee Provisional Patent Application Pilot Program

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The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced a collaborative deferred-fee provisional patent application pilot program for inventions that combat COVID-19.

United StatesIntellectual Property
Oblon, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, L.L.P
Oblon, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, L.L.P
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On Wednesday, September 16, 2020, the USPTO issued a release stating:

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced a collaborative deferred-fee provisional patent application pilot program for inventions that combat COVID-19.  

The USPTO recognizes that its mission to issue high-quality patents to inventors goes hand-in-hand with dissemination of important scientific information to the public to promote further innovation. This information flow is now more important than ever in view of the urgent challenges posed by the COVID-19 outbreak. Under the pilot program, applicants may defer payment of the provisional application filing fee until the filing of a corresponding, non-provisional application. To foster dissemination and collaboration, they must agree that the technical subject matter disclosed in their provisional applications will be available to the public on the USPTO's website. By making their disclosures available, applicants

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