The JPO will start the Analogous New Route Pilot Project with the USPTO on January 28th, 2008.
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| Outline and Objectives of the New Route |
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The New Route proposed by the JPO is a new framework for international patent protection. It will deal with applications filed through the Paris Route. Under the New Route, a patent application filed with the Office of First Filing (OFF) will be regarded as being filed on the same date as the filing date in the Office of Second Filing (OSF). The search/examination results obtained in the OFF will be transmitted to the OSF within a certain period of time. At the same time, the New Route gives an applicant sufficient time (30 months from the filing (priority) date) to think over whether or not his/her application should undergo an examination in the OSF based on the search/results issued by the OFF.
The New Route reduces the examination workload and increases the examination quality by providing for the mutual utilization of search/examination results on a full scale for Paris-Route applications, while giving an applicant more time to make a decision about whether to file overseas and the payment of accompanying costs. |
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| Outline and Objectives of Analogous New Route Pilot Project between the JPO and the USPTO |
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Because the New Route, as envisioned, would require changes in law in both the USPTO and JPO, the USPTO and JPO agreed to commence an analogous pilot project to test the New Route concept based on the currently available framework under existing law in both Offices. The pilot is designed to give applicants and examiners in Japan and the U.S. an idea about the New Route to be implemented using PCT applications that satisfy certain requirements. The applications for the pilot will be examined in an expeditious way at the OSF, to get the result of the pilot in a limited time period. The Pilot Project will be finished when one of the following occurs: (1) a total of 50 applications has been processed in both Offices; or (2) one year has passed since the start of the project.
Please click the following for more information on the requirements of an application for the pilot. |
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Case 1: JPO as Office of First Filing and USPTO as Office of Second Filing <PDF 59KB>
Case 2: USPTO as Office of First Filing and JPO as Office of Second Filing <PDF 46KB> |
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| Japanese page |
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