Expansion of the Patent Prosecution Highway pilot program
18 Jan 2011
IP Australia and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) commenced a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot on 14 April 2008. IP Australia and the USPTO have now agreed to the extension of the PPH pilot program until 13 April 2012.
The PPH is an initiative whereby an applicant may request accelerated examination in one office based on a determination by the other office that at least one claim of a corresponding application is allowable.
In addition, USPTO and IP Australia have agreed to expand the pilot to include work carried out under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), referred to as the PCT-PPH pilot. The PCT-PPH pilot program will begin on 24 January 2011 and also run until 13 April 2012.
Last Updated: 15/9/2012
