USPTO expands Patent Prosecution Highway

The Patent Prosecution Highway is a program by the USPTO that enables an applicant, who received a ruling from a foreign patent office that at least one claim in an application is patentable, to request that the foreign office fast-track examination of corresponding claims in corresponding applications. According to the USPTO, the PPH enables a patent office to benefit from work previously done by the other office, and results in applicants obtaining corresponding patents faster and more efficiently.

 The USPTO has been involved in a pilot PPH program with the Japanese Patent Office since summer of 2006 and with the UK Intellectual Property Office since September 2007. On January 3, 2008, the USPTO and the JPO had announced that the PPH program will now be implemented on a full-time basis. Additionally, the USPTO launched two more pilot PPH programs with the Korean and Canadian Intellectual Property Offices. The pilot programs are set to last for one year, though they may be extended for up to year or cancelled at any point, depending on activity volume and other factors.