The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced a new initiative Thursday to support the Chips for America Program—and North Texas’ burgeoning semiconductor sector is primed to take notice.
To encourage research, development, and innovation in semiconductor manufacturing, the Commerce Department’s USPTO announced a new Semiconductor Technology Pilot Program.
“The CHIPS and Science Act is a once-in-a generation opportunity to foster a new wave of American innovation, protect our national security, and preserve our global economic competitiveness,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement. “This new USPTO program will ensure we are prioritizing critical intellectual property protections to incentivize investments in domestic semiconductor manufacturing.”
The pilot program is designed to accelerate improvements in the semiconductor industry by expediting examination of patent applications for certain semiconductor manufacturing innovations, the USPTO said. Qualifying nonprovisional utility patent applications—directed to certain processes and apparatuses for manufacturing semiconductor devices—”will be accorded special status” until a first action.
Applicants aren’t required to satisfy the current requirements of the accelerated examination program or the prioritized examination program to qualify, the USPTO added.
The USPTO will begin accepting petitions to participate in the program today (Friday, December 1, 2023). The pilot program will be available until December 2, 2024, or until the USPTO accepts 1,000 grantable petitions.
“Fast tracking examination of patent applications related to semiconductor device manufacturing speeds bringing key innovations to market and strengthens our nation's supply chain,” said Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. “From innovations in phones to cars to other everyday devices, our goal with this program is to get more cutting-edge technologies into the hands of consumers faster while reducing our dependence on the foreign supply of semiconductor chips.”
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