The USPTO to End the Accelerated Examination Program
June 24, 2025
By: Alice O. Carroll
The USPTO will no longer accept petitions to make special under the Accelerated Examination program, effective July 10, 2025. This program is being discontinued due to dwindling participation and efforts by the USPTO to reduce application pendency. Under the Accelerated Examination program, applications could be examined out of turn upon a grantable petition (without a petition fee) for subject matter directed to inventions enhancing the quality of the environment, contributing to the development or conservation of energy resources, or contributing to countering terrorism. Applicants desiring to expedite examination for these and any other subject matter can file a petition and pay a fee for Prioritized Examination (Track One). Petitions to make special based on inventor's or a joint inventor's age or health, or under the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) are still available.
Contact Alice Carroll or your regular practitioner at Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds to learn more. Alice Carroll: Alice.Carroll@hbsr.com or 978.202.3239
About Hamilton Brook Smith ReynoldsHamilton Brook Smith Reynolds is among New England’s largest law firms devoted to the practice of intellectual property law. The firm specializes in patents, trademarks, intellectual property litigation, copyrights, licensing, due diligence, opinions, trade secrets, and intellectual property counseling. The firm’s legal staff provides comprehensive intellectual property expertise in a wide range of technical areas such as biotechnology & life sciences, biologics & immunotherapies, bioinformatics, chemistry, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, materials science, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, physics, optics, nanotechnology, and electrical, chemical and mechanical engineering.
