CNIPA and JPO Extend PPH Pilot Program

The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) have jointly decided to extend their Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program for another five years from November 1, 2023 to October 31, 2028. The established Guideline of CNIPA-JPO PPH Request remains controlling the pertinent requirements and procedures governing applicants' PPH requests.

PPH is a fast track linking patent examination duties of different countries or regions, allowing patent examination authorities to share their work to speed up patent examination. Since the initiation of the first PPH pilot program in November 2011, the CNIPA has built PPH ties with patent examination authorities of 31 countries or regions.