USPTO extends fast track pilot for green tech

Good news for inventors - the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is extending its fast track approval process for green technology applications.

The USPTO’s Green Technology Pilot Program, which provides expedited processing of patents applications, is being renewed until Dec. 31, 2011.The program was set it expire on Dec. 8 of this year.

We’ve seen great results so far for those applications in the Green Technology Pilot Program, so we want to extend it for another year and open the program to additional green inventions,” said David Kappos, under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the USPTO. Kappos added that the extension is intended to stimulate investment and job growth in the sector.

Under the pilot, the average waiting time between the approval of a green technology petition and the first action on the petition is 49 days, the USPTO says. Wait times were previously up to a year from the filing date.

The program began in Dec. 2004. Over 790 petitions were granted to green technology patent applicants, and 94 patents have been issued, according to the USPTO.

Just don’t fax your applications in upside down.

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com