New Patent Prosecution Highway between the UK and China

A new pilot Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme has been launched between the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of the People’s Republic of China. The UK-China PPH pilot started on the 1 July 2014 and will run for an initial period of two years, ending on 30 June 2016.

Benefits:

• The PPH allows applicants who have been successful in obtaining a patent at one office to request accelerated processing of a corresponding application at the other.
• The second office can make use of the work undertaken by the first office to more quickly and efficiently process the application.
• The Patent Prosecution Highway will also help to reduce duplication, helping to create a more efficient and affordable system for businesses in both the UK and China.

Minister for intellectual property Lord Younger said: \”The launch of the Patent Prosecution Highway with China will enable innovative British businesses to obtain patent protection in China more quickly and cheaply than ever before. This can only help to encourage growth and enable UK businesses to work more closely with one of our most important economic partners.”