Tuesday, December 29, 2020 In a Director’s Forum blog on the importance of interview practice to the patent examination process, the USPTO announced that the First Action Interview Pilot Program is going to end on January 15, 2021, largely due to underuse. The First Action Interview Pilot Program The First Action Interview Pilot Program has been running for 12 years, but its popularity never took off. The basic premise of the program is explained on its USPTO webpage: Under the Full First Action Interview Pilot Program, an applicant is entitled to a first action interview, upon request, prior to the first Office action on the merits. The examiner will conduct a prior art search and provide applicant with a condensed pre-interview communication citing relevant prior art and identifying proposed rejections or objections. Within 30 days of receipt, applicant schedules an interview and submits proposed amendments and/or arguments. At the interview, the relevant prior art, proposed rejections, amendments and arguments will be discussed. If agreement is not reached, the applicant will receive a first action interview Office action that includes an interview summary that constitutes a first Office action on the merits under 35 USC 132.