Patent Office Celebrates Progress on Backlog of Applications

The US Patent and Trademark Office reduced its backlog of unexamined patent applications, with the number of first office actions exceeding the number of new applications filed within the fiscal year for the first time in nearly a decade, the agency said Friday.

The PTO’s inventory of unexamined patent applications has dropped to 776,995, the lowest level in two years, from a high of 837,928 in January 2025, it said in a press release. The agency also touted progress in reducing its oldest unexamined applications, closing in on its goal of virtually eliminating applications that would otherwise exceed 36 ...