Patent Prosecution Highway between the UK and Japan
The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot procedure allows you to request accelerated examination of your patent application if you have received an examination report by the Japan Patent Office (JPO) for the same invention. Similarly, under the PPH pilot you can request accelerated examination at the JPO if we have already conducted the examination of your patent and you have filed an application relating to the same invention in Japan.
You will need to submit the search and examination reports from the JPO relating to your invention, amongst other information, in order for us to perform an accelerated examination of your application. This will allow us to benefit from work previously done by the JPO, which in turn will reduce the examination workload and improve patent quality.
The PPH pilot procedure launched on 2 July 2007 and will initially run for a year. A decision on extending the pilot will be made at the end of the first year.
For further information or advice on requesting accelerated examination under the PPH please contact Alastair Kelly (01633) 814417 or email PPH@ipo.gov.uk
