Patent Prosecution Highway

The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) is a set of initiatives for providing accelerated patent prosecution procedures by sharing information between some patent offices. It also permits each participating patent office to benefit from the work previously done by the other patent office, with the goal of reducing examination workload and improving patent quality.^[1]

An updated "PPH 2.0" system under the program name "Mottainai" (a Japanese word meaning "a sense of regret concerning waste when the intrinsic value of an object or resource is not properly utilized") began among several national patent offices in mid-2011.^[2]

Cooperations (examples)

A number of patent offices are participating to PPH schemes. The following are examples of cooperations:

• Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) - United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO): A one-year pilot program commenced on January 28, 2008.^[3] The trial period has been extended for a period of two years ending on January 28, 2011, "[in] order to adequately assess the feasibility of the PPH pilot program".^[4]
• Danish Patent and Trademark Office (DKPTO) - Japan Patent Office (JPO): Implemented since 1 July 2008.^[5]
• DKPTO - USPTO: A trial period started on 3 November 2008 and is set to expire 3 November 2009.)^[6]
• European Patent Office (EPO) - USPTO: A one-year trial cooperation program ("PPH Pilot Programme") commenced on 29 September 2008, for a period of one year ending on 29 September 2009.^[7][8][9] It was then extended for an additional period of 12 months, effective as of 30 September 2009.^[10]
• EPO - JPO: Launch of a bilateral PPH pilot with effect on 29 January 2010.^[11]
• IP Australia (IPAU) - USPTO: A one-year pilot program under PPH 2.0 commenced on January 29, 2012, and was extended indefinitely in July 2012.^[12]
• JPO - USPTO: The pilot program started in July 2006. The trial period was originally scheduled to last for one year, but was extended until January 3, 2008. The program has been implemented on a full-time basis since January 4, 2008.^[1][13]
• JPO - Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO): The pilot program started in April 2007.^[14]
• JPO - UK-IPO: A one-year pilot program commenced on July 1, 2007.^[15][16] Following the pilot program it was announced that the PPH program would be made permanent.^[17]
• JPO - German Patent and Trade Mark Office (GPTO): A pilot program was announced in March 2008.^[18]
• JPO - Malaysian Intellectual Property Office (MYIPO): With effect from 1 October 2014, MyIPO started a pilot PPH/PCT-PPH programs with the Japan Patent Office (JPO).^[19]
• JPO - National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (PRH): The pilot began on 20 April 2009 and initially ran for two years (until the end of March 2011). It was announced that a decision on extending the pilot would be made at the end of the second year.^[20]
• KIPO - USPTO: A one-year pilot program commenced on January 28, 2008 and ended on January 28, 2009.^[21] The Patent Prosecution Highway is implemented on a full-time basis since January 29, 2009.^[22]
• Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) - USPTO: A pilot program was scheduled for September 1, 2011 - August 31, 2012.^[23]
• UK-IPO - USPTO: A one-year pilot program commenced on September 4, 2007.^[24] The USPTO has decided to extend the PPH pilot program until further notice.^[25]
• Israel Patent Office (ILPO) - USPTO: A one-year pilot program commenced on July 1, 2011.^[26]

Trilateral PCT-Patent Prosecution Highway (PCT-PPH)

A Patent Cooperation Treaty/Patent Prosecution Highway (PCT/PPH) pilot program was also started on 29 January 2010 for a planned period of two years. This pilot program enables to "[fast-track] patent examination procedures for PCT applications that have received a positive written opinion of either the International Searching Authority or the International Preliminary Examining Authority, or an international preliminary examination report from the European Patent Office (EPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO) or the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)."^[27][28]

See also

• Patent application
• Patent prosecution
• Public participation in patent examination
• Trilateral Patent Offices
• Backlog of unexamined patent applications

References

1. Patent Prosecution Highway at the Trilateral Co-operation
2. http://www.postgrant.com/2011/07/uspto-begins-mottainai-pilot-for-the-patent-prosecution-highway.html
3. Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) website, Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program between the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Consulted on January 20, 2008.
4. Two-Year Extension of the Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program between CIPO and USPTO, December 22, 2008. Consulted on January 29, 2009.
5. DKPTO web site, PPH between Denmark and Japan. Consulted on January 29, 2009.
6. USPTO web site, The Patent Prosecution Highway in Conjunction With the Danish Patent and Trademark Office. Consulted on January 29, 2009.
7. European Patent Office web site, Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Programme between the European Patent Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office Archived October 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine., Information from the European Patent Office, 26 September 2008. Consulted on September 27, 2008.
8. European Patent Office web site, EPO and USPTO to Pilot Patent Prosecution Highway Archived May 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine., News, 28 April 2008. Consulted on May 2, 2008.
9. USPTO web site, USPTO and EPO to Pilot Patent Prosecution Highway, Press release, #08-18, April 28, 2008. Consulted on May 2, 2008.
10. EPO web site, EPO and USPTO to extend their PPH pilot Archived September 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine., News, 22 September 2009. Consulted on October 10, 2009.
11. EPO web site, EPO and JPO to pilot Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Archived December 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine., News, 13 November 2009. Consulted on December 4, 2009.
12. US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website, Patent Prosecution Highway Between USPTO and IPAU (Pilot) Archived February 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine., consulted January 29, 2013.
13. US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website, Patent Prosecution Highway Between USPTO and JPO (Permanent) Archived February 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine., consulted March 5, 2008.
14. Japan Patent Office (JPO) website, Patent Prosecution Highway between the JPO and the KIPO, Examination Activities and Appeal Examination Activities, consulted January 20, 2008.
15. JPO web site, PPH pilot program between the JPO and the UK-IPO, Examination Activities and Appeal Examination Activities, consulted January 20, 2008.
16. Managing Intellectual Property, UK and Japan sign patent pledge, April 3, 2007.
17. UK-IPO website, UK and Japan pave the way for a permanent Patent Prosecution Highway Archived April 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine., March 10, 2010.
18. JPO web site, PPH pilot program between the JPO and the GPTO, Examination Activities and Appeal Examination Activities, consulted January 20, 2008.
19. MyIPO web site,, PPH & PCT-PPH: MyIPO-JPO
20. National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland web site, Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Programme begins between National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland and Japan Patent Office', Current Affairs, Last updated: 2.4.2009, Consulted on April 3, 2009.
21. USPTO website, The Patent Prosecution Highway in Conjunction With the Korean Intellectual Property Office Archived March 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine., consulted March 5, 2008.
22. USPTO website, USPTO and KIPO to Implement Patent Prosecution Highway on Full-Time Basis, Press release #09-01, January 28, 2009. Consulted January 29, 2009.
23. USPTO-TIPO PPH press release
24. UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) website, Patent Prosecution Highway between the UK and United States Archived October 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine., consulted January 20, 2008.
25. USPTO web site, The Patent Prosecution Highway in Conjunction With the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office Archived January 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.. Consulted on January 29, 2009.
26. Israel Patent Office (ILPO) website, PPH between the ILPO and USPTO
27. "Pilot of Patent Prosecution Highway Program to use PCT Work Products", PCT Newsletter No. 12/2009, page 1, and "The Trilateral Offices commence PCT-Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot", PCT Newsletter 02/2010, page 2.
28. "Factors to be considered when deciding whether or not to file a demand for international preliminary examination" (Views of David Reed), Practical Advice, PCT Newsletter No. 04/2010, page 8ff: "[In] the case of PCT applications that have received a positive written opinion of either the ISA or the IPEA, or an IPER from the European Patent Office, the Japan Patent Office or the United States Patent and Trademark Office, patent examination procedures in the national phase before those Offices can be fast-tracked under the Trilateral PCT-Patent Prosecution Highway (PCT-PPH)."

External links

• Patent Prosecution Highway Portal Site, maintained by the Japan Patent Office (JPO)
• PCT-Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot (PCT-PPH) at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
• IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway (IP5 PPH)

Specific patent offices

• Patent Prosecution Highway at the Austrian Patent Office
• Patent Prosecution Highway at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO)
• Patent Prosecution Highway at the Japan Patent Office (JPO)