Extension and Modification of the Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program

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The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is extending the Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program, initiated on July 2, 2020, and previously extended on July 12, 2021, and October 4, 2022. The Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program permits appellants with a docketed ex parte appeal before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB or Board) to file a petition to expedite the review of the appeal. The Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program previously set a target of reaching a decision on each ex parte appeal within six months from the date the appeal entered the program. Effective in this extension, the Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program will set a target of reaching a decision on each ex parte appeal within four months from the date the appeal enters the program.