USPTO Adds New Pilot Program – Combines Features of Pre-Appeal Conference & After-Final 2.0 Program with goal of compacting prosecution
One of the more frustrating aspects of securing U.S. patent protection is the process of prosecuting a patent application after it has been drafted and filed. “Patent prosecution” is an administrative process of the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) encompassing the interaction between patent examiners and technical innovators (patent applicants and their attorneys or agents) to determine how broad or narrow the scope of protection is in a given case.