The 2026 Australian IP Report offers a valuable lens on Australian innovation, and the IP system’s role in creating a more dynamic and prosperous economy.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is extending the Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program, initiated on July 2, 2020, and previously extended on July 12, 2021, and October 4, 2022. The Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program permits appellants with a docketed ex parte appeal before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB or Board) to file a petition to expedite the review of the appeal. The Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program previously set a target of reaching a decision on each ex parte appeal within six months from the date the appeal entered the program. Effective in this extension, the Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program will set a target of reaching a decision on each ex parte appeal within four months from the date the appeal enters the program.

The Public Records Division (PRD) processes and fills orders for both certified and uncertified copies of United States Patent and Trademark Office documents, records assignments and other documents related to title. This is an update of actual processing times for orders filled during the month of March 2026.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will require registration for access to the Open Data Portal (ODP) starting on June 18, 2026. The registration requirement is part of the Office’s agencywide initiative to further enhance protections of publicly available federal data.