Global Patent Prosecution Highway Announced

A patent prosecution highway is usually a bilateral agreement between two intellectual property offices. It allows for faster processing of a patent application in one intellectual property office (for example, the United States Patent and Trademark Office) based on an application that has been deemed allowable by the other intellectual property office (for example, the UK Intellectual Property Office) and vice versa. 13 intellectual property offices around the world (including the UK Intellectual Property Office) are going to simplify this process by participating in a Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) from January 2014. Under the GPPH, an application that has been deemed allowable by one of the participating offices may be accelerated at any or all of the other participating offices. This should result in increased efficiency for the prosecution of patent applications. If you have any queries about the Global Patent Prosecution Highway or patent protection in general, you can reach Ian Whiley at [email protected].

Swindell & Pearson has been helping businesses and individuals protect and defend their ideas, innovations and brands for over 130 years. With its head office in Derby, the firm also has offices in Stoke, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Sheffield and Burton. To find out how Swindell & Pearson can help you with any intellectual property requirements please get in touch via [email protected] or by telephone on 01332 367 051.