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Examination Activities and Appeal Examination Activities

Patent Prosecution Highway program between the JPO and the USPTO


The JPO and the USPTO has commenced the full-implemented Patent Prosecution Highway program on 4 January 2008. Following an agreement at the Trilateral Conference held in Kyoto on 13 November 2009, the both offices will commence the PPH program using PCT international work products (International Search Report (ISR), Written Opinion (WO) and International Preliminary Examination Report (IPER)) on pilot basis on 29 January 2010. The revision of the guideline this time also includes a streamlining of a part of the current requirements. Please see "Patent Prosecution Highway between the JPO and the USPTO using PCT international work products" for your reference.

(At the Trilateral Conference in November 2009: Ms. Brimelow, Commissioner of  the EPO, Mr. Hosono, Commissioner of the JPO and Mr. Kappos, Under Secretary  of  Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO)

(At the Trilateral Conference in November 2009: Ms. Brimelow, Commissioner of the EPO, Mr. Hosono, Commissioner of the JPO and Mr. Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO)

The requirements to participate in the PPH program and the procedures to request to each of the JPO and the USPTO are described in the following guideline documents.

The revised guideline documents for the PCT-based PPH will be posted in this page at a later date.

- Patent Prosecution Highway Requests to the JPO

- Patent Prosecution Highway Requests to the USPTO

- Link

USPTO website about the Patent Prosecution Highway pilot program

Development of the PPH program between the JPO and the USPTO

-Japanese page

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  • <Contact Information>
  • Examination Policy Planning Office
  • Administrative Affairs Division
  • First Patent Examination Department
  • Japan Patent Office
  • Tel: +81-3-3581-1101 (ex. 3103)
  • E-mail: PA2260@jpo.go.jp

[Last updated 13 November 2009]

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