The USPTO published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the Climate Change Mitigation Pilot Program.
Under this pilot program, qualifying nonprovisional utility patent applications involving technologies that mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be advanced out of turn for examination (accorded special status) until a first action on the merits. Applicants are not required to satisfy the current requirements of the accelerated examination program or the prioritized examination program.
The USPTO will begin accepting petitions to participate in the pilot program June 3, 2022. The pilot program will be available until June 5, 2023, or until the USPTO accepts 1,000 grantable petitions, whichever is earlier, subject to its discretion to terminate prior.
See the full press release here.
by Element IP
Element IP is a premier boutique intellectual property law firm. Created specifically to service the needs of users of the US patent system, our firm combines extensive experience in patent procurement, counselling, licensing, post-grant proceedings, and litigation with innovative technology and staffing solutions to provide clients with high quality work product in a cost-effective and efficient manner.