IP5 Offices Agree on Joint PPH Pilot Programme

The world's five largest Intellectual Property Offices (IP5) - the European Patent Office (EPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China (SIPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) - agreed to launch a comprehensive IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot programme as of January 2014. 

The programme will utilize both PCT and national work products and will improve the accelerated treatment of patent applications. 

(Source: China IP Magazine)