To require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office to establish and carry out a pilot program to expedite the examination of applications for certain patents, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Leadership in Critical and Emerging Technologies (CET) Act creates a fast-track patent examination program at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office specifically for inventions in artificial intelligence, semiconductor design, and quantum computing. The program runs for 5 years or until 15,000 patents are processed, whichever comes first. It allows the USPTO Director to skip the normal patent examination queue and waive the usual expedited review fees.
Who Benefits and How
U.S. technology companies and inventors working in AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing benefit significantly by getting their patents approved faster without paying the typical $4,000+ expedited examination fee. Patent law firms specializing in these emerging technologies will see increased demand for their services as companies rush to secure intellectual property protection. The program explicitly excludes "foreign entities of concern," giving American innovators a competitive advantage in securing critical technology patents.
Who Bears the Burden and How
USPTO patent examiners face increased workload pressures as they must prioritize critical technology applications over other patent filings. Inventors and companies in traditional industries will experience longer wait times as their applications are bumped down the queue. Foreign companies from countries designated as "entities of concern" are completely barred from participating. Individual inventors who want to file more than 4 applications under the program are also blocked, which particularly affects prolific innovators in AI and related fields.
Key Provisions
- Establishes a 5-year pilot program (or until 15,000 applications processed) to fast-track patent examination for AI, semiconductor, and quantum computing inventions
- Waives the standard petition fee for expedited examination (currently ,000 for large entities, ,000 for small entities)
- Prohibits participation by "foreign entities of concern" as defined in the William M. Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act
- Limits individual inventors to 4 applications under the program to prevent gaming the system
- Requires consultation with the Attorney General, Secretary of Defense, and intelligence agencies before accepting applications
- Mandates public reporting on program participation and requires a congressional assessment report within 180 days of program termination
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Establishes a USPTO pilot program to expedite patent examination for applications covering critical and emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and quantum computing.
Who Benefits
- U.S. technology companies filing patents in AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing
- Domestic AI startups and research institutions
- U.S. semiconductor design companies
Who Bears Costs
- USPTO patent examiners (increased workload from expedited review requirements)
- Foreign entities of concern (explicitly excluded from program)
- Companies with traditional patent portfolios not in critical tech areas (deprioritized in queue)
Key Policy Areas
Intellectual Property, Technology Policy, Innovation, National Security
Primary Purpose
Establishes a USPTO pilot program to expedite patent examination for applications covering critical and emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and quantum computing.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Accelerate U.S. innovation and competitiveness in critical technologies by fast-tracking patent protection for AI, semiconductor, and quantum inventions while restricting foreign adversary participation"
Identified Gains
- U.S. technology companies filing patents in AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing
- Domestic AI startups and research institutions
- U.S. semiconductor design companies
- Quantum computing companies and research labs
- Patent attorneys and prosecution specialists in these technology areas
Identified Costs
- USPTO patent examiners (increased workload from expedited review requirements)
- Foreign entities of concern (explicitly excluded from program)
- Companies with traditional patent portfolios not in critical tech areas (deprioritized in queue)
- Inventors who have already filed 4+ covered applications under the program (barred from further participation)
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Gooden (for himself and Ms. Ross) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Prolific inventors in critical technologies (5+ applications), U.S. companies and inventors filing AI patents, U.S. quantum computing companies and research institutions
Positive-direction: U.S. companies and inventors filing AI patents, U.S. quantum computing companies and research institutions
Negative-direction: Prolific inventors in critical technologies (5+ applications)
U.S. semiconductor design companies and EDA tool developers
Patent law firms specializing in AI, semiconductor, and quantum technologies
Foreign entities of concern seeking U.S. patents in critical technologies
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_office"
- → United States Patent and Trademark Office
- "the_director"
- → Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
An application for patent that contains at least 1 claimed invention directed to an eligible critical or emerging technology
The Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the Office (USPTO)
Technologies in three categories: (A) AI capabilities (machine learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, sensory perception, AI assurance, foundation models, generative AI, synthetic data, planning/reasoning, AI safety); (B) semiconductor design or electronic design automation tools; (C) quantum information science capabilities (quantum computing, materials for quantum devices, quantum sensing, quantum communications)
To advance a covered application out of turn through the use of a petition to make special
The United States Patent and Trademark Office
The pilot program established under subsection (b) to expedite examination of covered applications
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology