Prioritized Examination of COVID-19 Related Trademarks

Posted on Jun 16, 2020 in News

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that it will accept petitions filed on or after June 16, 2020 for prioritized examination of trademark and service mark applications covering the following medical products and services related to COVID-19:

• pharmaceutical products or medical devices such as diagnostic tests, ventilators, and
  personal protective equipment, including surgical masks, face shields, gowns, and gloves, .
  that prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure COVID-19 and are subject to approval by the United
  States Food and Drug Administration; and
• medical services or medical research services for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment of,
  or cure for COVID-19.

The USPTO is waiving the fee for such petitions.  Applications entitled to prioritized examination are advanced out of turn in the examination queue, which should reduce the time until initial examination on the merits by about two months.

(Image Caption: Illustration of SARS-CoV-2, the Corona virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit CDC/ Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS.)

by David M. Tener, Managing Partner