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United States Patent and Trademark Office › Patent Examinations

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce that serves a fundamental role in the U.S. intellectual property system by issuing patents and registering trademarks.... more +
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce that serves a fundamental role in the U.S. intellectual property system by issuing patents and registering trademarks.    less -
WilmerHale

PTAB/USPTO Update - September 2025

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On August 28, President Trump nullified via executive order the USPTO’s December 2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which covers approximately 9,000 patent examiners and other professionals at the USPTO....more

BakerHostetler

Navigating Patent Eligibility in the Age of AI: Strategic Insights from the USPTO’s August 2025 Guidance

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The August 4, 2025 memorandum (Memo) issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) clarifies how examiners should approach subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101. Importantly, the Memo provides critical...more

Loeb & Loeb LLP

White House Executive Order Disbands Patent Examiners’ Union

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On Thursday, August 28, 2025, the President of the United States issued an Executive Order which effectively disbanded the union representing patent examiners (POPA). As a justification, the Order stated patent examiners are...more

Miller Canfield

EPO to Accept Color Drawings in Patent Filings

Miller Canfield on

Beginning in October 2025, the European Patent Office (EPO) will accept patent drawings in color or grayscale when filed electronically. By allowing more detailed and visually accurate representations, this change enhances...more

Knobbe Martens

U.S. Design “Rocket Docket” Grounded

Knobbe Martens on

The U.S. Patent Office’s program for expedited examination of design applications under 37 CFR 1.155 (often called the design “rocket docket”), which was suspended earlier this year, was formally canceled in an amended...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

Reissuing a Reissued Patent: Additional Formatting Rules and Pitfalls

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C. on

Over the past couple of years we have discussed the important role a broadening or narrowing reissue can play in proper portfolio development and resuscitation of a patent or patent family after invalidation in court or the...more

Baker Botts L.L.P.

Patent Application Prosecution Timeline: What Startup Leaders Need to Know

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For startup founders and CTOs navigating the patent landscape, understanding the prosecution timeline is essential for strategic planning and resource allocation. After filing your patent application with the USPTO, the...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

Reissue, Reexamination, and Supplemental Examination Strategies and Insights – August 2025

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C. on

In the mid-2000s, the U.S. Patent Office (USPTO) determined that reexaminations would be more consistent and legally correct if performed by a centralized set of experienced and specially trained Examiners. As a result, the...more

Morgan Lewis

USPTO Memo Clarifies AI/ML Patent Eligibility Rules

Morgan Lewis on

Deputy Commissioner for Patents Charles Kim issued a memorandum to three technology centers reminding examiners how subject matter eligibility should be evaluated under 35 USC § 101. These technology centers often handle...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

IP Hot Topic: The USPTO Publishes Reminders to Examiners on Evaluating Subject Matter Eligibility

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C. on

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a memorandum on August 4, 2025, to provide reminders to Examiners in software-related arts, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, regarding...more

Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP

USPTO Issues Guidance Clarifying Subject Matter Eligibility for AI and Software Claims

Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP on

On August 4, the USPTO issued a Memorandum to examiners in Technology Centers 2100, 2600, and 3600, providing reminders and clarifications on evaluating subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101. This guidance is...more

ArentFox Schiff

Mission Scrubbed – USPTO Grounds “Rocket Docket”

ArentFox Schiff on

Effective April 17, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) suspended the expedited examination process for design patent applications under 37 CFR 1.155, commonly referred to as the “Rocket Docket.”...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

USPTO Clarifies Eligibility Examination Standards for Software Innovations

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On August 4, 2025, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released a new memorandum to patent examiners in Technology Centers 2100, 2600, and 3600, providing targeted reminders on evaluating subject matter eligibility...more

ArentFox Schiff

USPTO Aims to Boost Patent Eligibility of AI and ML Inventions

ArentFox Schiff on

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued new guidance to clarify and improve the evaluation of patent eligibility for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) inventions in order to foster...more

Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C.

Strategic Uses and Considerations for Reissue Applications (Part 3 of 3)

Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C. on

Reissue applications represent a very small fraction of the total number of applications filed at the USPTO each year. Indeed, at the midpoint of 2025, over 1.2 million utility applications have been filed, with less than 300...more

MoFo Tech

USPTO Internal Memo Suggests that Patenting AI Inventions May Become Easier

MoFo Tech on

The USPTO has issued an internal memorandum that may make it easier to patent software, in particular AI-related software inventions. In recent years, the USPTO has found certain software inventions to be patent-ineligible...more

Quarles & Brady LLP

AI Search Tool Coming to Design Patent Examination

Quarles & Brady LLP on

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced the rollout of DesignVision, an advanced AI‑powered image search tool now integrated into the examination system for U.S. design patent applications. According to the...more

ArentFox Schiff

USPTO Raises Annual Cap on Prioritized Patent Examination Requests

ArentFox Schiff on

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has finalized a rule increasing the annual limit on accepted requests for prioritized patent examination from 15,000 to 20,000, effective with fiscal year 2025 (FY 2025). This...more

Saul Ewing LLP

USPTO Increases Annual Limit for Prioritized Patent Examination Program: "Track One"

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On July 7, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) announced that, starting July 8, 2025, the Office will be increasing the number of prioritized patent examination requests that may be accepted from...more

MoFo Life Sciences

Need to FAST Track Your Patent? The USPTO increases the Annual Limit to 20,000

MoFo Life Sciences on

Effective July 8, 2025, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) expanded the availability of prioritized examination, increasing the limit on the number of requests from 15,000 to 20,000 in a fiscal year. The 20,000...more

McCarter & English, LLP

What to Do Now That the USPTO Accelerated Examination Program Is Ending

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The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) introduced the Accelerated Examination program in 2006 to help applicants receive expedited examination of important patent applications. The USPTO is ending the Accelerated...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

Sterne Kessler’s Reissue, Reexamination, and Supplemental Examination Practice Tips – June 2025

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C. on

In the mid-2000s, the U.S. Patent Office (USPTO) determined that reexaminations would be more consistent and legally correct if performed by a centralized set of experienced and specially trained Examiners. As a result, the...more

Knobbe Martens

Results of The Deferred Subject Matter Eligibility Response Pilot Program

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On June 18, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) hosted an informational call to share the results of a study on the Deferred Subject Matter Eligibility (DSMER) Pilot Program, three years after its...more

McCarter & English, LLP

USPTO Discontinues Accelerated Examination for Utility Patent Applications, but Track 1 Remains a Good Option

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The USPTO recently announced that the Accelerated Examination program will be discontinued as of July 10, 2025. Given that the program has had limited use over the past decade, with fewer than 100 Accelerated Examination...more

MoFo Life Sciences

USPTO Discontinues Accelerated Examination Program in Favor of Expanding Track One Program

MoFo Life Sciences on

On June 10, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that, after nearly 20 years, it will be discontinuing its Accelerated Examination Program for utility applications on July 10, 2025. The...more

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