U.S. Patent Office Lets Green Technologies Jump The Queue For Another Year

The United States Patent And Trademark Office (USPTO) has extended its Green Technology Pilot Program to accelerate the review of patent petitions for green technologies defined as those pertaining to: environmental quality, energy conservation, development of renewable energy, and greenhouse gas emission reduction. Applications are usually reviewed in the order they are received by the patent office, leading inventors and companies to delay commercialization of their technologies. This program lets green tech patents jump the queue without any extra fees or paperwork, and the USPTO hopes it will reduce average pendency times for green technologies by a year or more.