PPH agreement between Finnish and U.S. Patent Offices

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June 30, 2009

NBPR and USPTO commence Patent Prosecution Highway

The National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (NBPR) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are launching a Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program (PPH) that enables accelerating the prosecution of patent applications in both countries.

Accelerated PPH processing

Thanks to the PPH, one who has applied for patent in the United States can request for accelerated examination in the Finnish Patent Office if at least one of the claims accepted in the USPTO corresponds to those filed in Finland. Respectively, one can request for accelerated examination in the USA based on at least one claim accepted in Finland.

The one-year trial period starts on July 6, 2009. The agreement is part of an international Patent Prosecution Highway Programme (PPH), which aims to reduce examination workload and improve the patent quality. The NBPR has already in this year made a corresponding agreement with the Japanese Patent Office.

In case you need any further information, please contact our patent attorneys.