The U.S. Secretary of Commerce said in an interview that the Chips and Science Act is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the United States to accelerate U.S. innovation and maintain U.S. global economic competitiveness in the chip field. This new USPTO expedited review program in the chip field will ensure that the United States prioritizes critical intellectual property protection to incentivize investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing.
The accelerated examination program in the field of semiconductors aims to accelerate improvements in the semiconductor industry by expediting the examination of patent applications in the field of semiconductor manufacturing. Formal applications for certain processes and equipment for manufacturing semiconductor devices will be reviewed before the first examination action is issued, and the applicant does not need to meet the current requirements for accelerated examination or priority examination.
Expedited review of patent applications related to semiconductor device manufacturing will expedite bringing critical innovations to market and strengthen supply chains while reducing U.S. dependence on foreign supplies of semiconductor chips.
The USPTO will begin accepting requests for accelerated review of semiconductor chips on Friday, December 1, 2023. The pilot program will continue until December 2, 2024, or until the USPTO receives 1,000 approvable petitions, whichever comes first.
