Law360 Quotes Puya Partow-Navid on Rise in USPTO Continued Examination Requests

Law360 quoted Puya Partow-Navid in its September 25 article, “USPTO Is Seeing A Rise In Continued Examination Requests.” The piece explores the growing number of requests for continued examination (RCEs) at the US Patent and Trademark Office and the factors contributing to the trend, including changes to patent examination procedures and the end of the After Final Consideration Pilot Program (AFCP) 2.0.

Partow-Navid highlighted the impact of the AFCP program's termination, noting:

"Without AFCP, the options after a final rejection are more limited. If an amendment requires additional searching or consideration, an examiner may decline to enter it. At that point, the applicant generally has to appeal, abandon the application, or file an RCE. As a practical matter, an RCE is often the most efficient option."

The full article is available here.