Published on: 06/27/2024 14:30 PM
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New USPTO arrangement with the Kingdom of Bahrain expands opportunities for U.S. patent applicants
Patent Prosecution Highway pilot will speed up the patent examination process for filers in both countries
On June 26, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Kathi Vidal, and Bahrain’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Abdulla Fakhro, signed an agreement that will implement a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Program between the USPTO and Bahrain’s patent office.
The PPH Program is a work-sharing arrangement between two or more patent offices that enables an applicant who receives a ruling that at least one claim is allowable from one participating office to request accelerated prosecution of corresponding claim(s) in a corresponding patent application that is pending in another participating office. This allows the applicant to obtain an expedited patentability decision of a patent application in the second office.
“This is the USPTO’s fourth PPH partner in the Middle East/North Africa region,” said Under Secretary Vidal. “By taking this step we not only expand opportunities for U.S. businesses in the region, but also strengthen our ties with Bahrain and further the USPTO’s mission of fostering innovation and strengthening IP rights worldwide.”
The PPH pilot program with Bahrain is intended to go into effect November 1, 2024, and run for three years, ending October 31, 2027.
For more information about PPH programs, visit the USPTO website: Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) - Fast Track Examination of Applications | USPTO.
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