The Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program (continued)
The Japan Patent Office (JPO) initiated the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program with the USPTO in July 2006. The applicants who used this program have received the result of the examination relatively earlier than cases without this program. Although this program with the USPTO was scheduled to continue only for one year at the beginning, it has been determined to extend it for an additional 6 months, ending on January 3rd, 2008. After this extended period, the JPO will determine how to implement this program.
Following the PPH program with the USPTO, the JPO also started it with the KIPO in April 2007 and with the UK-IPO in July 2007.
As of now, an applicant of a JP national phase application of the PCT application is authorized to file a request of the program with these three countries.
Using the PPH program, it is possible that an applicant acquires a patent earlier than before. Therefore, we recommend that applicants who need strengthen their Japanese patent portfolio as soon as possible utilize this program, while keeping in mind that the difference in the examination standard/level of inventive step between two countries might affect the future enforcement of the patent.