Imagine That IP Law Blog

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) Prioritized Patent Examination Program, known as the Track-1 Program, provides an accelerated patent application examination in exchange for additional filing fees to those required for regular filings. But how does an applicant determine whether and when to use the Track-1 Program for a patent application? The answer may relate to an applicant’s business needs, as well as whether Track-1 limit has been exhausted for a particular year.

A regular patent application averages two (2) to four (4) years from the time of filing to ... Read More ›

Congratulations! You are ready to file a United States (U.S.) non-provisional patent application for your invention. This is a major milestone for any startup. But what comes next? Is it just a waiting game? Well ... maybe not.

A challenge with the standard patent process is that U.S. non-provisional patent applications are subject to the overburdened queues of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). USPTO statistics for an application show that the Traditional Total Pendency is 26.1 months to 42.9 months. (See Pendency Statistics USPTO from July of 2024). This means that ... Read More ›