CNIPA and EAPO Extend PPH Pilot Program
The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO) have jointly decided to extend their Patent prosecution highway (PPH) pilot program for an indefinite time period from April 1, 2023.
Benefiting from the addition of PCT-PPH to the existing PPH program according to the extended pilot program, patent applicants from both sides may file a PPH request with CNIPA or EAPO by quoting the work results from the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) international stage. The updated CNIPA-EAPO PPH Guideline remains controlling the pertinent requirements and procedures governing applicants' PPH requests at the two offices.
PPH is a fast track linking patent examination duties of different countries or regions, allowing patent examination authorities to speed up patent examination by work sharing. Since the initiation of the first PPH pilot program in November 2011, the CNIPA has locked PPH ties with patent authorities of 30 countries/regions.
With members spanning across multiple Eurasian countries, the EAPO issues patents that are instantly effective in its members once published. The extension of the CNIPA-EAPO PPH program is believed to facilitate IP cooperation among countries/regions along the Belt and Road, and serve Chinese and Eurasian innovators to accelerate patent examination.(Translated from CNIPA Website Chinese Version)