Are you a small business or independent inventor with an invention which may help in the fight against COVID-19?

On 8 May 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced a new program for accelerating the review of patent applications related to COVID-19. This could be your lucky day (if you’re one of the 500 selected…)!

The purpose of this program is to facilitate the patenting process by reducing cost and allowing rapid review of eligible filed patent applications.

What do you need to know about the new program (“COVID-19 Prioritized Examination Pilot Program”)? Here’s a snapshot:

• The patent application must cover a product or process that is subject to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for use in the prevention and/or treatment of COVID-19.
• Only small and micro entities are eligible (companies with <500 employees or independent inventors).
• Prioritized examination fees are not required under this program (regular fees apply).
• Total of 500 applications will be reviewed under the program.

Full details may be found by clicking here (link to USPTO).

Canada’s Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) does not have a specific program for inventors in response to COVID-19 but it has multiple programs for expediting review of new patent applications, and at a low cost relative to the U.S., which may be used as before. Canadian patent applications may be expedited under one of the following scenarios:

1. By payment of a fee of $500CAD (useable on virtually all applications).
2. By having a corresponding patent issued in a foreign patent office. For example, if you have filed the same patent application in the U.S. and Canada and a U.S. patent has issued, CIPO will expedite review of the corresponding Canadian application.

For any questions or further information, please contact a member of our patent group. Learn more about our patent practice.