“This new USPTO program will ensure we are prioritising critical intellectual property protections to incentivize investments in domestic semiconductor manufacturing,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo
The pilot program is designed to accelerate improvements in the semiconductor industry by expediting examination of patent applications for certain semiconductor manufacturing innovations. Qualifying nonprovisional utility patent applications, directed to certain processes and apparatuses for manufacturing semiconductor devices, will be advanced out of turn for examination (accorded special status) until a first action.
