The 12-month pilot deal creates what the offices are
calling a Patent Prosecution Highway. It means that someone who has
had a patent examination report produced by one of the two offices
can receive accelerated treatment from the other office.
The agreement between the UK Intellectual Property Office
(UK-IPO) and the US Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO) mirrors a
deal signed earlier this year between the UK and Japan. An
agreement had already existed between the US and Japan.
"The Patent Prosecution Highway agreement between the UK-IPO and
the USPTO will enhance the operational efficiency of both agencies
and improve patent quality," said Lord Triesman, parliamentary
under secretary of state for intellectual property and quality.
"The agreement will help to efficiently and effectively safeguard
inventors' intellectual property and help to stimulate innovation
on a national and international scale."
Triesman said that the aim of patent offices was to create a
wide ranging network of such agreements. "The PPH helps both
offices in their goal of stimulating and rewarding invention and
innovation and is a further step towards a global patent
prosecution highway network," he said.
"Our collective goal is to reduce duplication of work, speed up
processing, and improve quality," said Jon Dudas, director of the
USPTO. "This pilot project with the UK builds on work with the
Japanese Patent Office, and contributes to a more rational
international patent system."
In order to qualify for the faster processing, an applicant
would have to submit the search and examination reports produced by
the partner patent office.
The review of intellectual property carried out by Andrew Gowers
late last year recommended that the UK-IPO engage in work-sharing
partnerships such as those with the US and Japan.
