By Christopher P. Singer --
The list of Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) participants continues to grow. On Friday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a press release announcing a new pilot PPH program with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) that will begin on Monday, February 2, 2009. As with other PPH participants, the USPTO and IPOS anticipate that the pilot PPH will allow for faster and more efficient examination of applications, as well as reduce each Office's workload. Applicants who participate in the PPH and receive a determination that at least one claim is patentable from the initial examining office (either the USPTO or IPOS) can request that the other office fast track the examination of corresponding claims in the corresponding application. This pilot program, which is scheduled to last one year, will be used to assess applicant interest in the program, and determine whether it results in greater examination efficiency.
Further details regarding participation in the pilot PPH program can be found online at the USPTO or "available soon" from the IPOS websites.
For information regarding this topic, please see:
• "
Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot with CIPO Is Extended," December 23, 2008
• "
Additional Application Types Eligible for Participation in PPH Between USPTO and EPO," December 11, 2008
• "
Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program Between U.S. and Danish Patent Offices," October 29, 2008
• "
Patent Prosecution Highway Expands to Europe," September 25, 2008
• "
USPTO and UKIPO Extend Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program," September 3, 2008
• "
USPTO and EPO to Implement Pilot Patent Prosecution Highway Program," April 29, 2008
• "
Patent Prosecution Highway Extended to IP Australia," April 2, 2008
• "
Patent Prosecution Highway Network Expands to Canada & Korea," January 29, 2008
• "
USPTO Announces Two Additional Partners in the Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program," January 17, 2008
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