Department of Commerce
United States Patent and Trademark Office
- [Docket No.: PTO-P-2018-0066]
AGENCY:
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
On June 29, 2016, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) implemented the Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program, which permits patent applications pertaining to cancer immunotherapy to be advanced out of turn for examination and reviewed earlier (accorded special status). To date, over 300 petitions requesting participation in the pilot program have been filed, and over 100 patents have been granted under the pilot program. In view of the continued interest in the pilot program, the USPTO has extended the pilot program until June 30, 2020. All pilot parameters remain the same as the original pilot.
DATES:
Duration: The Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program will continue to run until June 30, 2020. Therefore, petitions to make special under the Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program must be filed on or before June 30, 2020. In addition, any petition to make special under the Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program filed between December 31, 2018, and the publication date of this notice will be considered timely. The USPTO may further extend the pilot program (with or without modifications) or terminate it depending on feedback received, continued interest and the effectiveness of the pilot program.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Pinchus M. Laufer, Patent Attorney (telephone (571) 272-7726; electronic mail at pinchus.laufer@uspto.gov) or Susy Tsang-Foster, Senior Legal Advisor (telephone (571) 272-7711; electronic mail at susy.tsang-foster@uspto.gov), of the Office of Patent Legal Administration, Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy.
For questions relating to a specific petition, please contact Gary B. Nickol, Supervisory Patent Examiner (telephone (571) 272-0835; electronic mail at gary.nickol@uspto.gov) or Brandon J. Fetterolf, Supervisory Patent Examiner (telephone (571) 272-2919; electronic mail at brandon.fetterolf@uspto.gov), of Technology Center 1600.