USPTO Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program
On October 24, 2025 the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the launch of a new pilot program that will afford patent Applicants an opportunity to accelerate examination of their patent applications. The USPTO Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program is set to run until October 27, 2026, with a limitation of approximately 200 applications being accepted for any particular Technology Center.
Acceptance into the pilot program will result in an Applicant's patent application being advanced out of turn for examination and issuance of a first Office Action. Participation in the program requires the Applicant to file a "Petition to Make Special," together with the associated fee ($150 for a large entity), prior to the application being assigned to an Examiner. The program guidelines include the following:
- The program is available for non-continuing utility applications filed before October 27, 2025 that have a single independent claim, no more than 10 total claims, and no multiple dependent claims. For applications having more than the permissible number of claims, the Applicant may file a preliminary amendment along with the Petition to Make Special, to meet the requirement for number of claims.
- Continuation, divisional, continuation-in-part, and national stage applications claiming priority to a PCT or non-US application are not eligible.
- No more than three patent applications naming the same person as inventor or co-inventor will be accepted.
- Applications must not be subject to a non-publication request to be eligible.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
