PPH Trial Programs Starting with Brazil, Argentina and Chile

Starting on April 1 a trial program for the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) began between Brazil and Japan as well as Argentina and Japan. The Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the Brazilian Patent Office will each be accepting 200 applications from the other country.

At the moment, the Brazilian Patent Office will only accept PPH application from Japan in the area of machinery with a particular focus on the areas of IT and automobile related technology. Moreover, the Brazilian Patent Office is limiting the number of PPH applications per applicant. Each applicant may file no more than six PPH applications in any four month period. However, the JPO has no restrictions as to which fields may utilize the PPH program nor any limits on the number of applications that an applicant can claim priority under the PPH program.

A PPH trial program between Japan and Chile will also start on August 1.

With the implementation of these PPH trial programs between Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, the number of foreign offices with whom the JPO has a PPH program will be 38.