On June 15, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the COVID-19 Prioritized Examination Program for certain trademark and service mark applications, which allows COVID-19-related trademark applications to be advanced out of turn and immediately assigned for examination. On June 30, the USPTO launched a related webpage, where applicants can find additional resources and information about the program.

As outlined in the official notice, applicants request participation in the program through a petition to the Director to advance the initial examination of qualifying trademark applications, and the USPTO has waived the fee for such petitions. Examination can be expedited by approximately two months (depending on how quickly the applicant files the petition), and may be further expedited by responding promptly to any USPTO correspondence.

Questions regarding the COVID-19 Trademark Prioritized Examination Program may be addressed to TMPolicy@uspto.gov. Questions about how to access or submit the TEAS “Petition to Director” form should be addressed to TEAS@uspto.gov.