Patent Office Announces Pilot Program for International Patents

April 8, 2026, 2:10 PM UTC

The US Patent and Trademark Office is starting a pilot program for international patent applicants that seek protection in up to 158 countries at once.

The office said in a notice set to be published in the Federal Register Thursday that applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty and selected for the program would’ve already gone through a pre-examination process and be entering the “national phase,” where the PTO conducts its own review.

The selected applicants would be given three options: proceed with the examination while also providing information to the examiner from the earlier round of international review; delay ...

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