The International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization has informed the United States Patent and Trademark Office that a new dollar amount has been established for the search fee required by IP Australia (IPAU) when acting as an International Searching Authority. The new dollar amount of the search fee required by the IPAU will be $1,555 and will go into effect May 1, 2026.

The USPTO is implementing a PCT Informed Examination Request (PIER) Pilot Program to assess the inventory and efficiency impacts of requiring an applicant to request examination in view of applicable Patent Cooperation Treaty international phase work products. The USPTO will select certain national stage patent applications for the program and, if selected, will issue a requirement for information referencing the applicable international phase work products and requiring applicant to indicate whether applicant opts to: proceed with examination, delay examination, or expressly abandon the application. The USPTO expects that requiring applicants to provide information upon review of international phase work products present in the application file will contribute to efforts to reduce inventory and pendency and improve quality.