Patent Prosecution Highway pilot update
21 Jun 2011
From 15 July 2011, IP Australia and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will be joining a pilot of an expanded Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) arrangement.
The PPH is a bilateral arrangement which allows a patent applicant to request expedited examination in one PPH participating office, based on examination of a corresponding application in the other patent office.
The new arrangement will improve the PPH program by making it available to a wider range of applicants than the current model.
Under the pilot, a PPH request to IP Australia can be based on examination of the corresponding application in the USPTO, regardless of where its priority application was filed. For example, the US application may be based on first filing in Norway or Australia, which would not qualify for PPH under the current PPH scheme.
The pilot will run for up to 12 months and will then be evaluated to determine the future of the program.
Read the press release from the Japan Patent Office.
For more information please contact Gill Jenkins, Assistant General Manager Patent and Plant Breeder's Rights Group, IP Australia on +61 2 6283 2252 or gillian.jenkins@ipaustralia.gov.au.
Last Updated: 29/11/2012
