Last month, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) began accelerating issue dates for patents. Previously, the time between Issue Notification and Issue Date averaged around three weeks. The USPTO is reducing that time to approximately two weeks, allowing patent holders to bring their investments to the market earlier.

By shortening the wait time between the issue notification and the issue date, patent applicants may avoid the need to file a Quick Path Information Disclosure Statement. Additionally, faster patent issuance will provide earlier protection for inventions, according to USPTO.