EPO and Rospatent launch PPH pilot

The European Patent Office (EPO) and the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) have launched a patent prosecution highway (PPH) pilot.

The programme started yesterday, February 1 and will continue for a period of three years, ending on January 31, 2020.

Back in October 2015, the offices announced their intention to launch the programme.

The aim of the PPH pilot programme is to use fast-track patent examination procedures already available at the offices, allowing applicants to obtain corresponding patents faster and more efficiently.

It also permits each office to exploit the work previously done by the other.

Recently, WIPR reported that five intellectual property offices extended their PPH pilot programme for three years.

The five offices, known as the ‘IP5’, consist of the EPO, US Patent and Trademark Office, China’s State Intellectual Property Office, Japan Patent Office and the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

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