(234) Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program
Between the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the
Directorate of Foreign Trade and Industrial Property,
National Patent Office of Bahrain
I. Background
Since July 2006, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
has partnered with several other offices in Patent Prosecution Highway
(PPH) programs. The PPH program is a work-sharing arrangement between two
or more patent offices that enables an applicant who receives a positive
ruling on patent claims from one participating office to request
accelerated prosecution of corresponding claims in another participating
office. Therefore, the PPH program allows the applicant to obtain an
expedited patentability decision in the second office. The examiner in the
office of later examination is able to utilize and augment the search and
examination results from the office of earlier examination, thus allowing
for a more comprehensive review and reduced duplication of effort. The PPH
program promotes the USPTO's goal of providing high-quality and timely
examination of patent applications by facilitating an expedited, thorough
examination.
On January 6, 2014, the USPTO began participating in the Global PPH and
IP5 PPH (Global/IP5 PPH) pilot programs, which consolidated and replaced
numerous earlier bilateral PPH programs, thereby streamlining and
simplifying the PPH program process for both applicants and Global/IP5 PPH
participating offices. See Implementation of the Global and IP5 Patent
Prosecution Highway (PPH) Pilot Programs with Participating Offices,
1400 Off. Gaz. Pat. Office 172 (March 18, 2014).
To further its mission of fostering innovation and growth worldwide, the
USPTO continually seeks new partners to share in the benefits afforded by
the PPH program. Following discussions between the USPTO and the
Directorate of Foreign Trade and Industrial Property, National Patent
Office of Bahrain (NPOB), the USPTO will implement a PPH pilot program with
the NPOB. The NPOB is not currently a Global/IP5 PPH participating office
and is partnering with the USPTO in the PPH program on a bilateral basis
only. However, a PPH program request submitted in the USPTO based on NPOB
work product will be treated under the published Global/IP5 PPH standards,
as discussed in section III below.
II. Trial Period for the PPH Pilot Program with the NPOB
The PPH pilot program with the NPOB will commence on November 1, 2024,
and will run for a period of three years ending on October 31, 2027. During
the trial period, the offices intend to regularly evaluate the PPH pilot
program to determine whether and how the program should be modified. Either
office may terminate the PPH pilot program for any reason, including if the
volume of participation exceeds a manageable level. Notice will be
published if the PPH pilot program will be extended or terminated. Unless
the NPOB becomes a Global PPH participating office, any extension or
termination of the Global/IP5 PPH program will have no effect on this PPH
pilot program.
III. Participation in the PPH Pilot Program with the NPOB in the USPTO
Any request to participate in a PPH program in the USPTO based on NPOB
work product is subject to the same requirements and procedures as, and
will receive treatment equivalent to, a request made under the Global/IP5
PPH pilot program, as set forth in the following notice: Implementation of
the Global and IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Pilot Programs with
Participating Offices, 1400 Off. Gaz. Pat. Office 172 (March 18, 2014).
This PPH pilot program will also be subject to any modifications to the
requirements and procedures of the Global/IP5 PPH pilot program. A
participation request form (Form PTO/SB/20BH) is available from the USPTO
 Top of Notices (234) December 31, 2024 |
US PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE |
1529 CNOG 863 |
website at www.uspto.gov/patents/basics/international-protection/patent-
prosecution-highway-pph-fast-track.
Any inquiries concerning this notice may be directed to Bryan Lin,
International Patent Legal Administration, at 571-272-3303 or
bryan.lin@uspto.gov.
Specific questions about the PPH program should be directed to the
Office of Petitions at 571-272-3282 or PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
July 24, 2024 KATHERINE K. VIDAL
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and
Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
[1525 OG 387]