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Taking Advantage of the USPTO's New Green Technology Pilot Program

Concerns about global warming and government efforts to make chemicals more environmentally friendly are driving the pharma and biopharma industries to bio-based chemical technologies. One such effort was recently announced by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke just prior to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Denmark. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has now implemented a Green Technology Pilot Program in which an applicant may have a patent application advanced out of turn—i.e., accorded special status—for examination if the application is directed to certain "green" technologies such as environmental quality, energy conservation, development of renewable energy resources and greenhouse gas emission reduction. Click here to read the full article by Peter Jackman.