Recent changes at United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are reshaping the dynamics of patent prosecution, creating both opportunities and challenges for patent Applicants. The USPTO has recently implemented the Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program and discontinued the Accelerated Examination program, leaving Track One and the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) as the remaining primary options in the US for expedited examination. The USPTO has also restructured examiners’ working conditions, revised or eliminated review procedures, revamped how backlog applications are handled, and introduced a second tier patent examiner position for AI development in an effort to reduce patent pendency. IP attorney Grant Ehrlich and Patent Agent Youngmin Lee take a look at the changes in this Stites & Harbison Client Alert.