As previously reported in WIPR, Patent Prosecution Highway programmes have been adopted by 24 offices of various countries and regions, including Japan.
With regard to the Japan Patent Office, applicants from the US, Korea, and Europe tend to use the programmes to obtain patent rights in Japan speedily. This firm encourages foreign clients to obtain patent rights efficiently by combining the measures for accelerating prosecution, including interviews with examiners, and the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programmes.
When an applicant uses the PPH, office actions are reduced and the number of applications that are granted patents with one office procedure is increased. Accordingly, the costs of agents and translations can be reduced. Therefore, a PPH satisfies the needs of applicants that want to obtain patent rights around the world efficiently, as well as simplifying the procedures patent firms need to carry out.
If an applicant uses the PPH, the period of pendency at the office is greatly reduced. For example, in Japan, the period from filing a substantial examination to the first examination is 24 to 30 months.
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PPH, Japan, patent rights
