During the summer of 2011 the first steps in the process of simplifying requesting accelerated prosecution of patent applications using the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) have been taken. Likewise, the number of PPH-agreements has increased, introducing new possibilities for accelerated prosecution, some of which are particularly relevant to our Scandinavian clients.
New Patent Prosecution Highway MOTTAINAI-agreement
Effective 15 July 2011 eight of the countries participating in the PPH concept agreed on easing the requirements for prosecution under the PPH when using any one of their mutual agreements. The new, simpler PPH-agreement is called the PPH MOTTAINAI, and has been signed by JPO (Japan), USPTO (USA), UK-IPO (UK), CIPO (Canada), IP Australia (Australia), NBPR (Finland), ROSPATENT (Russia) and SPTO (Spain).
With the PPH MOTTAINAI program, two previously strict requirements have been removed. Firstly, the original priority application, from which a patent family stems, may now originate from any country. Secondly, within one patent family, it is now possible to use a decision to grant originating from any of the participating offices to request prosecution under the PPH at any other one of the participating offices, provided a mutual PPH-agreement actually exists and remaining requirements are met.
Troels Peter Rørdam, European Patent Attorney, Awapatent