Ralph G. Fischer’s Patent Prosecution Article Published in The Legal Intelligencer

An article published by Ralph G. Fischer, associate in Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney’s Intellectual Property Section, was published in The Legal Intelligencer. In the article, “In the Fast Lane with the Patent Prosecution Highway,” Fischer describes the USPTO’s response to the slow process of prosecuting patent applications, which sometimes takes more than three years due to backlog, exchange of correspondence and appeals. The USPTO and foreign patent offices have initiated a streamlined program, the “patent prosecution highway” (PPH) in an attempt to speed up prosecution and reduce associated costs.

Patent applications that are prosecuted under a PPH program experience delays about 75 percent less often than patent applications that are filed regularly in the USPTO. When a PPH is available, using it will likely permit the applicant to obtain examination more quickly, as well as have a great chance of having it issue as a patent.

Read the full article – “In the Fast Lane with the Patent Prosecution Highway” (The Legal Intelligencer, April 30, 2013)