USPTO Will Fast-Track Patents for Standards Team Players
Published Date: 6/3/2026
Notice
Summary
The USPTO is launching the SPARK Pilot Program to speed up patent reviews and appeals for U.S. small and medium businesses, universities, and nonprofits that actively join standards groups. If you qualify, your patent application or appeal gets bumped to the front of the line, saving you time and rewarding your teamwork. The program runs from June 3, 2026, until it hits 200 petitions or June 3, 2027—whichever comes first.
Analyzed Economic Effects
8 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 6 costs, 0 mixed.
Front-of-Line Patent Processing
If your U.S.-domiciled small or medium business, university, or nonprofit qualifies, your original non-reissue nonprovisional utility application or ex parte appeal can be advanced out of turn for faster review. The pilot runs beginning June 3, 2026 until June 3, 2027 or until 200 petitions are granted, and accepted applications are accorded special status until a first Office action is issued (or appeals are advanced for PTAB assignment).
Who Can Qualify: Small US Entities
To participate you must be a juristic entity domiciled in the United States (principal place of business) and certify small entity or nonprofit status under 37 CFR 1.27; small business concerns must meet SBA size standards (e.g., no more than 500 employees including affiliates as set out in 13 CFR 121.801–121.805).
Claim Limits and Amendment Restrictions
To be eligible you must have no more than three independent claims, no more than 20 total claims, and no multiple dependent claims at the time the petition is filed; any excess claims must be canceled by a preliminary amendment by the petition filing date. After special status is granted, amendments that would exceed these limits or add multiple dependent claims are not permitted.
Program and Per‑Applicant Quotas
The USPTO will grant no more than 200 petitions total and no more than 50 granted petitions per quarter; additionally, no more than 50 petitions may be granted to expedite appeals, and no more than 50 examination grants may be made per Technology Center. An applicant may file up to three petitions overall and only one granted petition based on the same technical standard.
Representation, Timing, and Procedural Rules
Juristic applicants must be represented by a registered patent practitioner and the petition to expedite examination must be filed before a first Office action is issued; petitions to expedite appeals must be filed after the PTAB docketing notice but before final decision or withdrawal. If you request an oral hearing and then reschedule rather than waive it, you may be removed from the pilot.
Meaningful SDO Participation Required
You must certify at petition filing that your organization completed 40 or more hours of active participation in a voluntary consensus-based standards development organization, and that the participation occurred on or after January 13, 2026. The petition must identify the technical standard by its alpha-numeric designation and title.
No Petition Fees; Forms and Electronic Filing
There is no petition fee to request participation—the petition fee requirements of 37 CFR 41.3 and 37 CFR 1.102(d) are waived. Petitions must be filed electronically using Patent Center on forms PTO/SB/479a (examination) or PTO/SB/479b (appeal).
Eligible Filings and Exclusions
The pilot applies only to original (non-reissue) nonprovisional utility applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) and their ex parte appeals; PCT national stage filings under 35 U.S.C. 371 are not eligible. Applications or appeals currently granted special status under other programs (e.g., Track One or age/health status) are ineligible for the SPARK expedited status.
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this federal register document means for your household, plus every other regulation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-17525, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Substantive Submissions Made During the Prosecution of the Trademark Application
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (hereafter "USPTO" or "Agency"), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments on the extension and revision of an existing information collection: 0651-0054 (Substantive Submissions Made During the Prosecution of the Trademark Application). The purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for public comments preceding submission of the information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
2026-17524, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Appeals
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (hereafter "USPTO" or "Agency") will submit the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. The USPTO invites comments on the information collection renewal of 0651-0063, which helps the USPTO assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the reporting burden to the public. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on April 20, 2026, during a 60-day comment period (91 FR 20986). This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
2026-16744, Request for Comments on Community Outreach Office Locations in the Southwest States
The USPTO wants your ideas on where to open new community outreach offices in the Southwest states like Arizona and Texas. These offices will help inventors, small businesses, and students get better support with patents. Share your thoughts by September 16, 2026, so the USPTO can pick the best spots and keep innovation booming without extra costs to you!
2026-16315, Administrative Updates to the General Requirements Bulletin for Admission to the Examination for Registration To Practice in Patent Cases Before the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Starting August 11, 2026, the USPTO is upgrading Biomedical Science degrees from Category B to Category A for patent bar eligibility. This means more people with this degree can now take the patent exam and become patent practitioners. No extra fees or delays—just a smoother path for those with the right science background to join the patent world!
2026-14939, Grant of Interim Extension of the Term of U.S. Patent No. 8,877,798; Centanafadine Hydrochloride
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical got a one-year extra patent life for their drug centanafadine hydrochloride because the FDA review is still going on. This means their patent, which was set to expire on July 25, 2026, now lasts until July 25, 2027. This extension helps Otsuka keep exclusive rights to their drug a bit longer while waiting for final FDA approval.
2026-14941, Grant of Interim Extension of the Term of U.S. Patent No. 8,461,196; Centanafadine Hydrochloride
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical got a one-year extra patent life for their drug centanafadine hydrochloride because the FDA review is still going on. This means they keep exclusive rights to the drug until July 25, 2027, giving them more time to sell it without competition. This extension helps the company protect their investment while the drug gets final approval.
Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-11095, Sunshine Act Meetings
The Farm Credit Administration is holding a public meeting on June 11, 2026, where they’ll review recent reports on economic conditions and their operations. Anyone interested can join in person or online by registering a day ahead. This keeps things transparent and lets folks see how farm credit is doing—no extra costs involved, just open access!
Next: 2026-11099, Request for Comments on the Renewal of a Previously Approved Information Collection: Mariner Pretest Survey
The Maritime Administration wants to renew and rename its survey for merchant mariners from a pretest to a full voluntary survey. This survey helps figure out how many qualified mariners are ready to serve when the country needs them. The number of participants and time spent on the survey has grown a lot, and some questions were tweaked to be clearer. Comments are open until August 3, 2026.