UK And US Extend PPH Pilot

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

03 September 2008

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently announced an extension of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program between the United States and the United Kingdom.

The project was launched in September 2007 as a 12 month pilot scheme designed to speed up the processing of patent applications in both countries.

The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) allows patent applicants who have received an examination report by either the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) or the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to request accelerated examination of a corresponding patent application filed in the other country.

The aim of the pilot is to test applicant demand for this additional option for speeding up examination of patent applications, and to quantify the quality and efficiency gains to be expected.

The USPTO explained in a statement last week that:

"The requirements of the PPH pilot program were modified on January 28, 2008 to permit certain applications based on PCT filings to qualify for participation in the PPH pilot program."

"In view of this recent modification, the USPTO has decided to extend the PPH pilot program until further notice. The USPTO and UK-IPO will evaluate the results of the pilot programe periodically to determine whether and how the program should be fully implemented at a later date."

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