USPTO Discontinues Expedited Examination of Design Applications

To combat fraud and reduce the backlog and inventory of unexamined design applications, the USPTO has decided to suspend the expedited examination process for design patent applications starting April 17, 2025.

The USPTO stated that in recent years, requests for accelerated examination of design patent applications have surged by 560%, and there are a large number of fraudulent applications. The suspension of the accelerated examination procedure will also support the USPTO to solve the problem of erroneous small entity certification and further strengthen the mitigation and protection of threats to the intellectual property system.

Any requests for accelerated examination filed after this effective date will no longer be granted, and the USPTO will refund fees for related requests filed after the effective date.