The Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BPTO) joined the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) program on July 6, 2024. Coordinated by the Japan Patent Office (JPO)....more
PPH, literally the Patent Prosecution Highway, is a procedure to facilitate the prosecutions in a national phase. The prosecutions can be accelerated, based on the allowed claims from the office of first filing. Or for short,...more
The International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Working Group held its 14th session from June 14 to 17, 2021. Patent attorney Mary Drabnis (Baton Rouge)...more
The Russian government has issued a decree to deny compensation to patentees from “unfriendly states” when their patents are used for Russia’s national security purposes. Additionally, the US Patent and Trademark Office has...more
US and EU Sanctions - IP Engagement Suspended with Russia, Belarus, and Eurasian IP Offices - Four days after the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the United States Treasury Department issued Directive 4 under...more
USPTO Launches New Patent Search Tool - In a press release issued earlier this year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced the launch of a new Patent Public Search tool. The Office notes that the new patent...more
As we’ve reported elsewhere in our blog, the U.S., EU, and other nations recently have enacted significant economic sanctions against Russian individuals and entities in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia is...more
The Russian war on Ukraine has resulted in a series of US sanctions and Russian countermeasures that have disrupted the coordination of patent and trademark rights between the United States and Russia. ...more
As we wrote in this recent blog, whistleblowers from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have called for the closure of WIPO’s Russia office in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They’re concerned...more
On March 22, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that it was breaking its final ties with Russia’s intellectual property agencies. Specifically, the USPTO has terminated engagement with officials...more
While the humanitarian crisis has received the most attention during the emerging situation in Ukraine, numerous other facets of the world economy, international relations, and daily life have also been affected. One...more
Last week, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced that it was terminating engagement with officials from the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) and Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO), per...more
Strategic patent portfolio management requires a portfolio manager to expedite prosecution for quicker allowance for some patent applications, and to extend the pending time for more flexibility for some other patent...more
Patent Prosecution Highway or PPH is a set of initiatives promulgated by participating patent offices around the world to accelerate patent prosecution in countries of the participating patent offices. PPH allows the...more
Major patent offices around the world have long been aware of backlog and redundancy issues facing the global patent landscape. As previously reviewed, the Patent Prosecution (PPH) program aims to accelerate examination...more
The October 2020 issue of Sterne Kessler's Global Patent Prosecution newsletter discusses the factors you need to consider when filing strategies to protect your innovations in Asia and reviews the benefits for using the...more
Building a patent portfolio is an important part of new product development. For many startups, patents help credential their technology and attract investment. However, backlogs at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office...more
In recent years, with the increase in patent applications filed in China, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has focused on expediting patent examinations to decrease the duration of the normal...more
Survey of Foreign Filing Requirements in the United States, China, and Europe - Many governments require approval of technical subject matter described in patent applications in the form of a foreign filing license prior...more
At last count, there are 27 Global and IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) participants with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Since the PPH provides a no fee way to speed up the examination process for...more
The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program accelerates examination among participating patent offices. The PPH program first began as a trial program between the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Japan Patent...more
Please see full map and corresponding legend regarding grace period around the world. ...more
Public Disclosure Grace Periods Around the World - Public disclosure prior to a patent application filing can present a significant hurdle to patentability in most countries because of absolute novelty requirements....more
With the implementation of Revisions to the Chinese Patent Examination Guidelines on April 1, 2017, the April 2017 issue of Sterne Kessler's Global Patent Prosecution Newsletter includes information and practical tips for...more
Track One Prioritized Examination - Track One examination allows an applicant to pay for prioritized examination and to receive a final disposition usually in less than one year (compared to two to four years for regular...more