Patent Prosecution Highway between the UK and Germany
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 German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) for the same invention. Similarly, under the PPH pilot you can request accelerated examination at the DPMA if we have already conducted the examination of your patent and you have filed an application relating to the same invention in Germany.
You will need to submit the search and examination reports from the DPMA 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 DPMA, which in turn will reduce the examination workload and improve patent quality.
The PPH with the DPMA was launched on 1 March 2012. The pilot is initially scheduled to run for one year.
The IPO and the DPMA have agreed to continue the pilot project for a further 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.