Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program Extended Indefinitely

The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program is an initiative between IP Australia and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to improve efficiencies in the examination of patent applications.

In particular, the PPH enables an applicant to request expedited examination of a patent application in Australia or the United States on the basis of having at least one allowable claim in a related patent application in the other jurisdiction.
The PPH pilot program commenced on 14 April 2008 and the initial program was expanded from 24 January 2011 to include work carried out under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), referred to as the PCT-PPH pilot.

The PPH pilot program has been extended indefinitely and will continue to provide applicants of patent applications in both Australia and the United States with an opportunity to accelerate the processing of corresponding applications through to grant.

For further reading, please refer to our earlier article “Patent Prosecution Highway with USPTO Extended”.

Please contact Cotters if you would like any further information about the changes or if you wish to request examination on any pending patent applications.

By Paul Mahony
Cotters Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys
13 September 2012