Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Program between Japan and Europe
The Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the European Patent Office agreed to commence the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Pilot Program on January 29, 2010, at the JPO/EPO Heads Meeting held in Kyoto on November 12, 2009.
Under the PPH pilot program, applicants who filed a patent application to the EPO can apply for a faster examination of a corresponding Japanese application by fulfilling prescribed requirements.
For more details, please visit the following URL:
http://www.jpo.go.jp/cgi/linke.cgi?url=/torikumi_e/t_torikumi_e/patent_highway_e.htm