In an effort to promote the development and commercialization of technologies that conserve natural resources or reduce negative environmental impact, patent offices around the world have adopted programs to expedite the examination of patent applications pertaining to clean technologies.
In 2013, the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development published an empirical analysis of seven of these programs. They concluded fast-track programs for clean technology applications were effective, reducing the average time to grant of a patent by up to 75%. They also concluded there was demand for fast-track programs, especially from small but fast-growing startup companies, and that fast-track patents were of higher commercial value. Thus, fast-track programs have clearly become an important tool for advancing clean technology inventions.
A summary of the programs for fast-tracking clean technology applications follows...
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