Taiwan-Japan PPH Mottainai Pilot Program Launched

The TIPO-JPO Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program currently has been extended for three years beginning on May 1, 2014 and modified to PPH Mottainai.  The modified pilot program will bring greater convenience to Taiwanese and Japanese applicants and accelerate both TIPO’s and JPT’s patent examination process.

Under the TIPO-JPO PPH pilot program launched in May 2012, TIPO had received a total of 817 requests for expedited examination as of the end of March 2014, which demonstrates the success of the program.  The program should have expired at the end of April 2014 but now continues its pilot run for three more years starting on May 1, 2014 due to the great success of the program.  Both offices agree to the extension of the program and also modify the current program into PPH Mottainai.  As an enhanced version of the general PPH programs, the PPH Mottainai pilot program allows an applicant to make a request for PPH examination at the office of later examination by submitting the examination results of the office of earlier examination, whether or not such result is issued by the office of first filing as designated in the general PPH program.  In other words, the examination result of the office of first filing (OFF) no longer has primacy over that of the office of second filing (OSF).  For instance, a Taiwanese applicant who has filed a patent application first with TIPO (OFF) and then with JPO (OSF) for the same invention may request for PPH with TIPO by submitting the examination result first issued by JPO, which is procedurally unacceptable under the general PPH programs. 

Please go to TIPO’s website at http://www.tipo.gov.tw/lp.asp?ctNode=6716&CtUnit=3227&BaseDSD=7&mp=1 or JPO’s website at http://www.jpo.go.jp/torikumi/t_torikumi/japan_taiwan_highway.htm for application form and details of required procedure.  (May 2014)
/CCS