Effective July 1, 2015, green technology companies can now choose the Japan Patent Office (JPO) as an International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) for international applications filed at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The USPTO announced terms of the agreement between the two intellectual property offices on July 1, 2015, which runs through June 30, 2018, with an option for extending the program. See Press Release 15-14.

A green technology applicant can take advantage of this new agreement if it satisfies the following requirements:

1) It submits the international application in English;

2) With claims qualifying under certain International Patent Classification classes for green technology; and

3) Chooses the JPO as the ISA when depositing the international application with the USPTO as the Receiving Office (RO/US).