Patent Prosecution Highway Between USPTO and JPO (Permanent)

Under the Patent Prosecution Highway, an applicant receiving a ruling from either the Japan Patent Office (JPO) or the USPTO that at least one claim in an application is patentable may request that the other office fast track the examination of corresponding claims in corresponding applications. The Patent Prosecution Highway will leverage fast-track patent examination procedures already available in both offices to allow applicants in both countries to obtain corresponding patents faster and more efficiently.

As of May 25, 2010, the USPTO has eliminated the fee for the petition to make special under the PPH programs.

Starting on January 29, 2012, for a period of one year ending on January 29, 2013, the USPTO has implemented PPH 2.0 by simplifying the PPH requirements and procedures in a consolidated and user-friendly framework, while at the same time ensuring that work sharing benefits to the USPTO are not diminished. It is important to note that PPH 2.0 has only been implemented with respect to the USPTO at this time, i.e., unilaterally.