Australia Joins the Global Patent Prosecution Highway

What is the Global Patent Prosecution Highway?

The Australian Patent Office is one of 13 patent offices from around the globe that have joined forces to create a Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) pilot program, which commenced on 6 January 2014.

Under the GPPH pilot program – where an applicant receives a ruling from a participating patent office that at least one claim in a patent application is allowable – the applicant may request that another participating patent office accelerate examination of a corresponding patent application.

In Which Countries can Examination be Accelerated?

Previously, Australia only had an ongoing Patent Prosecution Highway agreement with the United States. The GPPH now provides Australian patent applicants with access to accelerated examination in the following countries:

• Canada
• Denmark
• Finland
• Japan
• South Korea
• Norway
• Portugal
• Russia
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States.

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