Patent Prosecution Highway between the UK and Canada
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 Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) for the same invention. Similarly, under the PPH pilot you can request accelerated examination at the CIPO if we have already conducted the examination of your patent and you have filed an application relating to the same invention in Canada.
You will need to submit the search and examination reports from the CIPO relating to your invention, amongst other information, in order for us to perform an accelerated examination of your application. Alternatively you may request that we obtain the search and exam reports directly from the CIPO on your behalf. This will allow us to benefit from work previously done by the CIPO, which in turn will reduce the examination workload and improve patent quality.
The PPH with the CIPO was launched on 31 January 2012. The pilot is initially scheduled to run for two years.
For further information or advice on requesting accelerated examination under the PPH please contact Charles Jarman +44 (0)1633 814782 or email PPH@ipo.gov.uk.