The 3rd year of the PPH Program between India and Japan

From December 20, 2021, the IPO (Indian Patent Office) will begin accepting PPH (Patent Prosecution Highway) applications.

Bilateral relations between India and Japan have become very strong in recent years, and they are continuing to improve in all aspects with the progression of time, covering from commerce to strategic military alliances, as well as intellectual property rights.

The Japan Patent Office (hereafter referred to as ‘JPO’) and the India Patent Office (hereinafter referred to as ‘IPO’) launched India’s first Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program on November 21, 2019, for a three-year duration.

The second year of the pilot program began on March 9, 2020, and the total number of requests was restricted to 44.

PPH between India and Japan will continue

According to a recent announcement on the Indian Patent Office’s (IPO) official website, the IPO will begin receiving Form 5-1 under Chapter 5 of the PPH Guidelines for the third year of the pilot program on December 20, 2021. The number of requests will be restricted to 100 each year, and they will be filled in order of receipt. Furthermore, any applicant who submitted a patent application separately or together with another applicant is limited to 10 PPH requests each year to the IPO.

Furthermore, under the PPH, a request for special status for fast-track examination must be completed online in the approved Form 5-1. Only once the request for special status is accepted by the IPO may the applicant/authorized agent file Form 18A for the fast-track examination. The Applicant/Authorized Agent will be notified of the Acceptance/Rejection/Noticed Defect decision through email and a note on the e-filing site.