July 2010 Issue

Did You Know?

In another effort to reduce backlog, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently expanded the Application Exchange Program (Program) to include large entities.  As originally implemented, the Program afforded small-entity applicants with more than one application, filed prior to the inception of the Program, an opportunity to seek expedited examination of one application in exchange for the withdrawal of an unexamined application.  Recently, however, the USPTO expanded the Program to include large and small entities alike, and extended the duration of the Program to December 31, 2010.  The USPTO further limited an entity’s participation in the Program to fifteen (15) applications.  Additional information on the recent expansion can be found at  http://www.uspto.gov/news/pr/2010/10_17.jsp. 

Applicants frustrated with the backlogs at the USPTO may find the expanded Program useful for expediting the prosecution of, for example, commercially significant applications.