The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has launched the Standards Participation and Representation Kudos (SPARK) Pilot Program, an initiative that rewards U.S. small- and medium-sized businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations for taking part in standards development.
ANSI previously reported on the program in January, when the USPTO first announced its plans. Now live, SPARK is the first initiative of the USPTO's Standard Essential Patent (SEP) Working Group.
Standards shape the markets and technologies of the future, but smaller organizations may lack the time and resources to participate meaningfully in the standards developing organizations (SDOs) where that work happens. SPARK aims to close that gap by offering a concrete benefit in return for participation.
Under the program, a U.S.-based small business, university, or non-profit that has meaningfully participated in developing a technical standard with a voluntary, consensus-based SDO can petition the USPTO to expedite examination of a patent application—or to fast-track an appeal before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). The application or appeal does not have to be related to the organization’s standards work, and there is no petition fee. Accepted petitions are advanced ahead of others in the queue.
The USPTO will accept petitions until June 3, 2027, or until 200 have been granted (whichever comes first). Petitions are filed electronically through the USPTO's Patent Center, and complete requirements are available in the program's Federal Register notice.
