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USPTO, Taiwan to Pilot Test Reciprocal Patent Reviews

USPTO building (USPTO.gov)

(USPTO.gov)

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced a new pilot test of sharing patent reviews with the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO). The trial of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program will permit each office to benefit from work previously done by the other office.

USPTO says the expedited examination in each office allows applicants to obtain corresponding patents faster and more efficiently. Under the PPH, USPTO or TIPO can use the search and examination results filed in a corresponding application with the counterpart agency, rather than conducting an identical search itself.

Through the PPH, an applicant receiving a ruling from TIPO that at least one claim in an application is patentable may also request that the USPTO fast-track the examination of corresponding claims in corresponding applications. Similarly, if the USPTO determines that at least one claim is patentable, the applicant may request accelerated processing of corresponding applications filed at TIPO.

The PPH trial with TIPO begins on 1 September 2011 and is scheduled to last for a year. In June, USPTO concluded similar agreements with Israel, Korea, and the Nordic Patent Institute that covers Denmark, Norway, and Iceland.

Read more: U.S. Patent Office Signs New, Expanded Reciprocity Deals

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