The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced a new prioritized examination program to expedite the examination of applications for marks used to identify qualifying COVID-19 medical products and services. Applications that qualify for the program will immediately be assigned to an examining attorney for review, which expedites examination by approximately two months. The USPTO will not charge additional fees for applications that qualify for the program because it considers the COVID-19 outbreak to be an “extraordinary situation” for trademark applicants.

To qualify for prioritized examination, the trademark or service mark application must cover a product that is subject to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for use in the prevention and/or treatment of COVID-19, or a medical service (including medical research) for the prevention and/or treatment of COVID-19.

The USPTO started accepting petitions to advance the initial examination of applications for qualifying COVID-19-related marks beginning June 16, 2020.

Read the full announcement here.