USPTO and Korean IP Office to Exapnd Patent Prosecution Highway Agreement

    By Sarah Fendrick --

In a press release published on April 16, 2010, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced the expansion of their existing bilateral Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) agreement.  Under the PPH agreement, an applicant that receives allowable claims from one patent office can request that a corresponding application pending before another patent office receive accelerated examination.  The goal of the PPH program is to promote efficient and high-quality patent examination by coordinating search results between patent offices.

"Expanding the scope of our PPH cooperation with the KIPO will significantly benefit applicants in both countries," said USPTO Director David Kappos.  "The KIPO is elected to serve as a PCT International Authority by US PCT applicants in about 30 percent of cases.  Expanding the scope of our bilateral PPH agreement to include PCT 'international phase' work will significantly increase the benefits of the PPH and the PCT to both patent offices and their users."

Under the previous PPH agreement between the USPTO and KIPO, only search and examination results under the Paris Convention were eligible.  However, under the expanded agreement, international search reports with written opinions and Patent Cooperation Treaty international preliminary examination reports can be considered under the accelerated examination.

The new program has not yet begun, so the starting date and further details will be forthcoming.

Comments

[Gena777]

The increasing number and expansion of these PPH agreements is welcome news. Such agreements will very likely streamline and otherwise improve multiple aspects of patent law practice, from filing to patent litigation. I'm all for getting better patents, faster!
http://www.generalpatent.com/media/videos/general-patent-corporation-helps-patent-owners-enforce-their-ip-rights