Editing Petition to make special (section)

== Background and rationale ==

Normally patent applications in a given technological art are examined in the order that they are filed in under the "first come, first served" principle. The patent office has realized, however, that some [[invention]]s deserve special attention and that patent applications covering these inventions should be examined as quickly as possible. If an invention falls into one of the special categories, the applicant (e.g. [[inventor]]) can petition to have it examined early.

A petition to make special can be granted because:<ref>[http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/documents/0700_708_02.htm "708.02 Petition To Make Special"], ''Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP)'', Eighth Edition, August 2001, Latest Revision August 2006</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=What is a Petition to Make Special Infringement? |url=https://www.upcounsel.com/petition-to-make-special-infringement |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=UpCounsel |language=en}}</ref>

* one of the inventors is over the age of 65 or is ill to the point where they may not be available to assist in the prosecution of the patent,
* the head of a government agency requests that the application be made special,
* the patent relates to certain areas including: quality of the environment, development of energy resources, or terrorism,
* the applicant wishes to take part in accelerated examination as described below, or
* the applicant has received a positive indication of allowability in another jurisdiction and is participating in the [[Patent Prosecution Highway]].