It is taking longer to get a patent. Since 2020, the average time from patent filing to receiving the first action from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has risen from 14 months to 21 months, a 50% increase in only five years.[1] Total pendency, which includes time from filing to an allowance or an abandonment, has risen by three months in the same period.[2] Recognizing the problem, the USPTO has taken multiple steps to slow the steadily increasing pendency.
