Patent Prosecution Highway leads to quicker grant of US, Japanese patents

The United Stated Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) recently announced implementation of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH), effective from 4 January 2008. According to a spokesperson at the JPO this decision follows after a pilot feasibility study of the PPH showed that the PPH streamlines patent prosecution and results in quicker grant of patents.

Under the PPH, if applicant has received a ruling from either the JPO or the USPTO that at least one claim in an application in patentable, such an applicant may request that the other office fast-track the examination of corresponding claims in corresponding applications. By basing the prosecution in the second office on a patentability ruling from the first office, applicants can expect to obtain patents from both offices faster.

Updated requirements for participation in the USPTO-JPO PPH at the USPTO will soon be made available at http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/pph/pph_jpo.html.

Pieter Visagie
Candidate Attorney
pieterv@adamsadams.co.za
Adams & Adams

Jacques Loock
Partner
jal@adamsadams.co.za
Adams & Adams