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Policy

Patent Office Offers Faster Processing

by Glenn Hess
February 21, 2011 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 89, Issue 8

The Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) says it will offer speedier patent examinations for a proposed fee of $4,000 per application as one option in a “three track” patent processing program. Under track one, the fast-track option, prioritized applications would be processed within one year of filing. Applicants would pay the $4,000 premium in addition to the regular $1,090 fee for filing, search, and examination. For smaller entities, PTO says, it is “working to offer a 50% discount on any filing fee associated with track one,” as it does with many other standard processing fees. Patent reform legislation recently approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee would enable PTO to set its own fees and thereby extend this discount to small-entity applicants (see next page). “This new system will help shrink the backlog by catering to the business needs of America’s innovators,” Commerce Secretary Gary Locke says.

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