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>[02.Feb.09]
Patents –
USPTO and IPOS to Pilot Patent Prosecution Highway
Source: IPOS [Adapted]
IThe Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)
and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
have launched, on 02.Feb.2009, a new pilot cooperation
initiative called the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH).
The PPH between the IPOS and the USPTO aims to accelerate
the processing of patent applications in one patent
office where the other patent office has already conducted
the search and examination.
With the PPH,
each office will be able to exploit the work previously
done by the other office. At the USPTO, the examination
process will begin at a more informed level, which will
not only allow quicker processing of patent applications
but also improve patent quality. At IPOS, the granting
process of patent applications will be accelerated by
utilizing the search and examination work done by the
USPTO.
In launching the
pilot program, Singapore joins the growing network of
IP (Intellectual Property) offices co-operating to deal
with the backlog of patent applications worldwide. Besides
IPOS, the other offices which have ongoing pilot programs
with the USPTO include the United Kingdom Intellectual
Property Office (IPO), Canadian Intellectual Property
Office (CIPO), o European Patent Office (EPO), among
others. The Japan Patent Office (JPO) and Korean Intellectual
Property Office (KIPO) have fully implemented the PPH
program with the USPTO after their respective pilot
programs.
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